Mobile Security – An Overview of GSM, SAT and WAP

Abstract

Mobile networks have become a very attractive channel for the provision of electronic services, as they are available almost anytime and anywhere. But for a service provider, there are several mobile communication standards to choose from. They differ in market penetration, flexibility, and security.

This paper gives a comparative overview of the security features of GSM, SIM Application Toolkit and WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). It describes the trust relations involved, and gives examples of typical applications suitable for each of these standards.

Results are that pure GSM is suitable only for applications with low sensitivity, as the security features are limited. SIM Toolkit allows for the implementation of application-specific end-to-end security, and is thus suitable for sensitive, personalized applications like banking ore brokerage. Finally, WAP defines a security standard with choices for differently strong algorithms. In order to be suitable for secure applications, the models for local storage have to be settled, and there must be sufficiently many WAP phones with support for strong security on the market.