Cryptanalysis of the GSM Identification Algorithm

Presented at DEF CON 6 (1998), Aug. 1, 1998, noon (50 minutes)

About 80 million digital cell phones worldwide implement the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) protocols. Recently it was announced that COMP128, the cryptographic algorithm that protects the "identity key" in the majority of these phones, was extremely weak, thus allowing GSM phones to be "cloned". In this talk, we will examine how COMP128 is used in the GSM protocol, describe the algorithm itself, and demonstrate how to break it. We will also discuss the implications this result has for the security of of the voice privacy features of GSM.

Presenters:

• Ian Goldberg - ISAAC Research Group, UC Berkeley
  Ian Goldberg is a Graduate Student Researcher and founding member of the Internet Security, Applications, Authentication and Cryptography (ISAAC) research group at UC Berkeley. His research areas include cryptography, security, privacy systems, and digital cash.

Similar Presentations:

• DeepSec 2013 „Secrets, Failures, and Visions“ / Attacks On GSM Networks
• Black Hat USA 2010 / Attacking Phone Privacy
• DEF CON 22 (2014) / NSA Playset : GSM Sniffing