Confidentiality in the UMTS Radio Access Network Simulation approach under OPNET

The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) offers a panoply of 3G services. In addition to delivery of images, graphics and video communications, UMTS is used for such applications as banking and e-commerce and hence security is a critical concern. In the present paper, we are interested in the confidentiality feature in the UMTS Network Access. Ciphering when applied is performed in the RNC and the UE either in the RLC sub-layer or in the MAC sub-layer. Our current research aims to examine exactly where the encryption/decryption occurs in the protocol stack of an UMTS network. And then introduce this security feature in the OPNET Modeler which is used to give a simulation approach of the use of the UTRAN confidentiality feature between RNC and UE. This paper is organized as follows. First, a brief description of the UMTS confidentiality mechanism. Then,We will be interested in the UMTS stack layers where the ciphering and deciphering of data would be performed. After, we will describe our simulation approach by exposing the changes made to mobile station and RNC node models in order to implement the confidentiality feature.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Said El Hajji

Ghizlane Orhanou

Conference

Publication date: July 2009

Publication date (Print): July 2009

Pages: 1-11

Affiliations

[0001]Laboratoire Mathématiques, Informatiques et Applications

Université Mohammed V Agdal, Faculté des Sciences

BP 1014, Rabat, Maroc

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/VECOS2009.2

SO-VID: 62a274d3-bb0c-472c-b9ee-302fa8c1b104

Copyright statement: © Said El Hajji et al. Published by BCS Learning and Development Ltd. Third International Workshop on Verification and Evaluation of Computer and Communication Systems (VECoS 2009), Rabat, Morroco

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Third International Workshop on Verification and Evaluation of Computer and Communication Systems (VECoS 2009)

Conference acronym: VECOS

Conference number: 3

Conference location: Rabat, Morroco

Conference date: 2-3 July 2009

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Verification and Evaluation of Computer and Communication Systems (VECoS 2009)

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Product Information: 1477-9358BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/VECOS2009.2

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

Confidentiality in the UMTS Radio Access Network Simulation approach under OPNET

Abstract