T-mobile Usa, Inc.

T-mobile Innovations LLC

Geoffrey Todd Gibson

Marouane Balmakhtar

Gregory David Schumacher

Ming Shan Kwok

Wafik Abdel Shahid

John J Humbert

Boris Antsev

Joshua Finger

Jean Cheryl Trakinat

Global mobile communication event identifiers (IDs) improve security by enabling early detection of cybersecurity events in cellular networks. The event IDs are each unique to a category of mobile communication events and consistent across the network functions (NF), even from different vendors. NFs assign event IDs to mobile communication events, which are reported to a cybersecurity operations center. The cybersecurity operations center has visibility into network-wide events and is thus able to match occurrences of event IDs with categorized attacks, when an attack is occurring. This enables rapid, intelligent selection of a defensive response.

Global mobile communication event IDs for improved network and security operations

A wireless communication network serves a Network Exposure Function (NEF) slice to User Equipment (UE). An Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) selects a NEF slice for the UE. A Session Management Function (SMF) selects a NEF address for the NEF slice for the UE. A User Plane Function (UPF) exchanges Application Programming Interface (API) calls and responses between the UE and a NEF based on the NEF address. The NEF exchanges the API messages with the UE over the UPF. The NEF slice may comprise an edge NEF slice that is selected based on the geographic location of the UE and that features a local NEF element that is coupled to a core NEF element.

Network exposure function (NEF) slice in a wireless communication network

Methods and systems for detecting false base stations are provided. A computing device transmits a request for a verification message to a base station. An encrypted verification message comprising a base station identifier and a signature encrypted using an encryption key associated with the base station is received by the computing device. The computing device decrypts the signature included in the encrypted verification message utilizing a decryption key associated with the computer system. Based on the decrypted signature, the computing device determines that the encryption key does not correspond to the decryption key. Based on determining that the encryption key does not correspond to the decryption key, the computing device stores the base station identifier in a data store in association with a false base station indicator.

Cryptographic identification of false base stations

Integrity protection is used to assist in ensuring the secure transmission of wireless data within a cellular network. Instead of performing integrity protection on each packet data unit (PDU) transmitted/received within a PDU session, integrity protection is performed on a portion of PDUs transmitted within a cellular network. For instance, partial integrity protection may be performed on at least one predetermined PDU (e.g., the first, second, fourth, . . . ) that is transmitted via a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)/Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) during a communication session. By performing partial integrity protection, user data may be transmitted more quickly throughout the cellular network, compared to performing full integrity protection, while still providing integrity protection.

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Rowlett, TX, United States of America

Geoffrey Todd Gibson