A radio-independent authentication protocol (EAP-CRP) for networks of cognitive radios

Securing future wireless networks will be a critical challenge as the popularity of mobile communications implies that wireless networks will be the target of abuse. The next generation of wireless networks, as envisioned by recent advances in cognitive radio (CR) technologies, will be autonomic and able to adjust their configuration to changes in the communication environment. Unfortunately, the authentication frameworks for various radio technologies, such as IEEE802.11 and 802.16, are quite different from one another and, in order to support radio reconfiguration, it is necessary to devise an appropriate authentication framework for CR systems. In this paper, we propose a radio-independent authentication protocol for CRs that is independent of the underlying radio protocols and able to support EAP transport. The re-keying protocol assumes user-specific information, such as location information, as a key seed. The keys for authentication and encryption are derived from the historical location registry of a mobile terminal. The keys are frequently updated as mobile users' position varies. After discussing authentication issues for CR networks, radio-independent authentication via location information, and application to EAP transport, we evaluate the confidentiality of the key management method and its integration with EAP, thereby supporting the effectiveness of our key management method for CR networks.