• SECURITY CHALLENGES IN 3G SYSTEMS

Abstract

This study explains the authentication and encryption scheme used in GSM. It explains the different possible attacks on cellular systems, which include SIM cloning, eavesdropping, location tracking, SMS ping, SMS denial of service, authentication denial of service and SMS spam. It classifies these attacks on the basis of target of the attack, type of attack, motivation and severity. It points out the vulnerabilities that are exploited by attacks on cellular systems. It shows that the existing security schemes do not provide adequate security and that there is a need to develop new mechanisms that are better suited to the wireless environment. The proposed model uses a hybrid approach towards risk modeling.