AKMA: Delegated Authentication System of 5G
- Resource Type
- Periodical
- Authors
- Khan, Mohsin; Ginzboorg, Philip; Niemi, Valtteri
- Source
- IEEE Communications Standards Magazine IEEE Comm. Stand. Mag. Communications Standards Magazine, IEEE. 5(3):56-61 Sep, 2021
- Subject
- Communication, Networking and Broadcast Technologies
Privacy
5G mobile communication
Authentication
Cryptography
Communication standards
- Language
- ISSN
- 2471-2825
2471-2833
Authentication and key management for applications (AKMA) is the new cellular-network-based delegated authentication system of 5G. In this article, we explain what a delegated authentication system is and how it relates to concepts like federated identity management. We also explain why a cellular-network-based delegated authentication system is more secure than a password-based delegated authentication system. We present a concise description of how AKMA works and compare its functionalities to other cellular-network-based delegated authentication systems. Finally, we describe privacy issues of AKMA and point to cryptographic techniques that could help in resolving these issues.