Special Committee (SC) Security Algorithms Group of Experts (SAGE) Activity Report 2022
Chair: Patrik Ekdahl, Ericsson
Responsible for specifying cryptographic algorithms for telecommunications standards.
Our Security Algorithms Group of Experts (SAGE) Special Committee responds to the needs of other ETSI committees for cryptographic algorithms as well as organizations with whom ETSI has a formal relationship, including other European standards bodies. In particular it specifies authentication, encryption and key agreement mechanisms for a range of different standardized technologies.
In recent years most of the group’s work has been for mobile telephone standards – the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM™), the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS™), Long Term Evolution (LTE™), and most recently 5G – all radio technologies specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP™). Indeed, all the standardized 3GPP-specific security algorithms in 3G, 4G and 5G mobile telecommunications, as well as more recent 2G algorithms, have been specified by SAGE.
Work commissioned by 3GPP SA3 on 256-bit algorithms for 5G has been the main focus of SAGE activities during 2022. This includes new radio interface encryption and integrity algorithms for use in both user plane traffic (data) and control plane traffic. Providing long-term resistance to possible future quantum computing attacks in 5G systems, these same 256-bit algorithms could also be potentially retrofitted to previous-generation mobile systems if required. It is anticipated that specifications will be finalised by November 2022, prior to handing over to 3GPP SA3.
Work progressed in parallel on development of new authentication and key agreement (AKA) algorithms which will operate on 256-bit primary secrets (the keys shared by the UICC and Home Operator). This is also expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
During the year SC SAGE meanwhile continued to liaise with other ETSI Technical Committees including TC TCCE (TETRA and Critical Communications Evolution) and TC DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) regarding their own requirements for new algorithms as part of a future-proof overall security architecture.