A location based security framework for authenticating mobile phones

Although the utilisation of location information in mobile network access systems has given rise to a variety of applications and services, it is thought that the underlying service authentication model and the related security can be further enhanced. We propose a hierarchical location and proximity based access framework to services using mobile devices. We then show that it is practically feasible to implement this framework using 'intelligent' mobile agents. We discuss the necessary security mechanisms and security protocols for such a framework and show that our framework is resilient to relay attacks. The developed location aware mobile agent is equipped with accurate source-of-location sensing that operates online and offline.