5G-GRAKA: An efficient group based authentication and key agreement protocol for machine-type communication in 5G networks

Massive machine type communication (mMTC) is one of the important parts of the fifth-generation (5G) cellular wireless network. In order to meet the security requirements of 5G wireless networks, 3GPP has introduced an authentication and key agreement (AKA) protocol named 5G-AKA; however, it is still inefficient for the mMTC scenario where numerous devices attempt to connect to the network simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a new group-based AKA protocol, which authenticates multiple MTC devices (MTCDs) simultaneously while maintaining consistency with the 5G-AKA framework to ensure security. Specifically, we design a group authentication and key negotiation algorithm based on the challenge-response mechanism used in 5G-AKA protocol and dynamically managed group members to facilitate group authentication. This approach effectively reduces the volume of interactive messages, alleviates signaling congestion, and simultaneously completes key negotiation for multiple MTCDs. The ability of the proposed protocol against significant malicious attacks has been rigorously validated by the deviation of BAN logic and formally verified by the Random Oracle Model (ROM) and the Scyther tool, highlighting its robust security attributes. Extensive simulation experimental results have demonstrated the security, efficiency, and effectiveness of proposed protocol.