US 11,722,890 B2
Methods and systems for deriving cu-up security keys for disaggregated gNB architecture
Rajavelsamy Rajadura, Bangalore (IN); Rohini Rajendran, Bangalore (IN); and Nivedya Parambath Sasi, Bangalore (IN)
Assigned to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Suwon-si (KR)
Filed on Jul. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/443,422.
Claims priority of application No. 202041032179 (IN), filed on Jul. 27, 2020; and application No. 202041032179 (IN), filed on Jul. 8, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0030425 A1, Jan. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 12/04 (2021.01); H04W 12/041 (2021.01); H04W 12/033 (2021.01); H04W 12/106 (2021.01); H04W 12/043 (2021.01)
CPC H04W 12/041 (2021.01) [H04W 12/033 (2021.01); H04W 12/043 (2021.01); H04W 12/106 (2021.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for deriving Centralized Unit-User Plane (CU-UP) security keys for a disaggregated Next Generation Node B (gNB) architecture, the method comprising:
receiving, by a User Equipment (UE), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection reconfiguration message for initiating at least one of protecting integrity of data and ciphering of the data in each Data Radio Bearer (DRB);
extracting, by the UE, a plurality of parameters relevant to each DRB from the received RRC connection reconfiguration message; and
generating, by the UE based on the plurality of parameters, for each DRB, at least one of: an integrity protection key and a one ciphering key, for at least one of protecting the integrity of the data and ciphering the data,
wherein each RRC connection reconfiguration message comprises the plurality of parameters relevant to a DRB, for enabling the UE to initiate the at least one of protection of the integrity of the data and ciphering of the data,
wherein the plurality of parameters comprises at least one of: a DRB Identity (ID), a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session ID, a Quality of service Flow Indicator (QFI) pertaining to the DRB ID, and a counter value pertaining to the DRB,
wherein each of the integrity protection key or the ciphering key for each DRB is generated based on the counter value pertaining to the DRB,
wherein the counter value pertaining to the DRB is incremented after generation of the integrity protection key or the ciphering key,
wherein the counter value is maintained by a gNB Control Unit Control Plane (gNB CU-CP) to which the UE is connected for a duration of an Access Stratum (AS) security context between the gNB CU-CP and the UE, wherein the counter value is initialized when an AS root key is generated by the gNB CU-CP, and
wherein the AS root key is reset by the gNB CU-CP, by regenerating the AS root key prior to wrapping of the counter value pertaining to the DRB.