AKMA for Secure Multi-access Edge Computing Mobility in 5G

Abstract

Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) extends the cloud computing capabilities to the edge of the 5G network. The current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) specifications about MEC cover connectivity between a mobile user and a MEC host, including security, but they do not extend to application-level security and privacy issues. We solve the problem of creating a secure and privacy-preserving communication channel between a mobile user and a distributed MEC application. The solution is limited to the case where the mobile network remains the same during communication. The solution is based on the 3GPP AKMA for authentication and key sharing. It includes protocols for (1) registering the user to the main server of the application, (2) updating the user information and shared keys with the main server of the application, (3) using the application in the MEC host in the static case, (4) using the application in MEC host while moving.