Instant Ciphertext-Only Cryptanalysis of GSM Encrypted Communication

In this paper we present a very practical ciphertext-only cryptanalysis of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) encrypted communication, and various active attacks on the GSM protocols. These attacks can even break into GSM networks that use “unbreakable” ciphers. We first describe a ciphertext-only attack on A5/2 that requires a few dozen milliseconds of encrypted off-the-air cellular conversation and finds the correct key in less than a second on a personal computer. We extend

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2003
• Where: CRYPTO
• Authors: Elad Barkan, Eli Biham, Nathan Keller
• Keywords: CRYPTO 2003, GSM Protocols, Practical Ciphertext-only Cryptanalysis, Various Active Attacks