Title
Threat Modeling in LTE Small Cell Networks
Abstract
Small cells, such as femtocells, are becoming a key component in improving the service of wireless networks. These small cells are low-powered, low-range cellular base stations that connect to the LTE core through the Internet or the network operators wireline network, and provide new and diverse ways to increase wireless coverage and bandwidth in high-density areas. These new advances in capabilities introduce new opportunities for adversaries to exploit technology against the public interest. In this paper, we present a threat model of small cell LTE networks from a network perspective. As small cells are an evolving technology and ever increasing in use and importance, threat modelling is important to identify and address the threats introduced by new deployment architectures and designs. Our asset-focused model explores three main categories and the factors that contribute to the risks of: denial of service against the Evolved Packet Core network; unauthorized access to network operator resources; and compromise of end-user privacy, confidentiality, or service availability. While this model is not meant to be an exhaustive list of risks, we hope it raises awareness of the threats discussed, and encourages security discussions on this important aspect of LTE and future 5G networks.
Year
DOI
Venue
2018
10.1109/CCECE.2018.8447670
2018 IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical & Computer Engineering (CCECE)
Keywords
Field
DocType
LTE small cell networks,low-range cellular base stations,threat model,network operator resources,service availability,unauthorized access,end-user privacy,confidentiality,5G networks,evolved packet core network,denial of service
Wireless network,Femtocell,Wireless,Denial-of-service attack,Threat model,Computer security,Computer science,Electronic engineering,Exploit,Small cell,The Internet
Conference
ISSN
ISBN
Citations 
0840-7789
978-1-5386-2411-1
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
4
4
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Danish Sattar1103.58
Ashraf Matrawy214626.98
Troy Bryant300.34
Marc Kneppers400.68