Methods and systems for detecting and responding to paging channel attacks

Abstract

Methods for countering a shared paging channel hijack attack. In an example embodiment, a wireless device may monitor the shared paging channel during a paging occasion in a DRX cycle to detect a first IMSI-based paging message in the paging occasion, and continue monitoring for IMSI-based paging in subsequent radio subframes in the paging frame and radio subframes in subsequent radio frames within the DRX cycle to determine whether there are indications of a paging channel hijack attack. In an example embodiment, this monitoring may be to determine whether one or more subframes that are not the paging occasion receive IMSI-based paging messages, in response to which a threat probability may be increased. The wireless device may perform an operation (e.g., an actuation operation such as disabling monitoring of, and preventing connection attempts to, the base station, etc.) to protect against a shared paging channel hijack attack.