An authentication method, performed by a representative user equipment, UE, node that is one of a total number n of UE nodes in a group, comprising: receiving at least one access request and acquiring sub-key information from the access request; generating a group key according to the acquired sub-key information, wherein generating the group key comprises: selecting t pieces of the sub-key information from all of the acquired sub-key information and locally stored sub-key information to generate the group key, wherein t is less than or equal to n, and wherein n pieces of sub-key information of the n UE nodes in the group are obtained by dividing the group key into n sub-keys by an authentication center using a threshold mechanism algorithm and distributing the n sub-keys to the n UE nodes in the group respectively by the authentication center; interacting with the authentication center according to the group key to perform a group authentication, wherein interacting with the authentication center according to the group key to perform the group authentication comprises: receiving a feedback message of the group authentication request from the authentication center and generating a group authentication response to be sent to the authentication center according to the feedback message and the group key; marking a UE node corresponding to the sub-key information selected for generating the group key and adding the marking information into node information of the access request to be sent to the authentication center; and sending the node information of the access request to the authentication center if the group authentication is passed, for the authentication center to perform a validity verification on the node information according to prestored identification information of the group and of the UE node in the group, wherein the node information comprises: the ID of the UE node which corresponds to sub-key information selected for generating the group key by the representative UE node and the marking information; or the ID of the UE node, the corresponding sub-key information and the marking information; and wherein the prestored identification information of the UE node comprises: the ID of the UE node; or the ID of the UE node and the corresponding sub-key information. receiving at least one access request and acquiring sub-key information from the access request; generating a group key according to the acquired sub-key information, wherein generating the group key comprises: selecting t pieces of the sub-key information from all of the acquired sub-key information and locally stored sub-key information to generate the group key, wherein t is less than or equal to n, and wherein n pieces of sub-key information of the n UE nodes in the group are obtained by dividing the group key into n sub-keys by an authentication center using a threshold mechanism algorithm and distributing the n sub-keys to the n UE nodes in the group respectively by the authentication center; interacting with the authentication center according to the group key to perform a group authentication, wherein interacting with the authentication center according to the group key to perform the group authentication comprises: receiving a feedback message of the group authentication request from the authentication center and generating a group authentication response to be sent to the authentication center according to the feedback message and the group key; marking a UE node corresponding to the sub-key information selected for generating the group key and adding the marking information into node information of the access request to be sent to the authentication center; and sending the node information of the access request to the authentication center if the group authentication is passed, for the authentication center to perform a validity verification on the node information according to prestored identification information of the group and of the UE node in the group, wherein the node information comprises: the ID of the UE node which corresponds to sub-key information selected for generating the group key by the representative UE node and the marking information; or the ID of the UE node, the corresponding sub-key information and the marking information; and wherein the prestored identification information of the UE node comprises: the ID of the UE node; or the ID of the UE node and the corresponding sub-key information.