Patent ID: 8027679

Claim:
A method of secure handover in a distributed mobile communication environment, wherein the secure handover is executed for a mobile device between a current access device and a new access device, comprising: generating a master secret authentication value during log-on of the mobile device with an authentication server; receiving the master secret authentication value after log-on of the mobile device with the authentication server at the current access device; deriving a roaming authentication value for mutual authentication between the mobile device and the new access device from the master secret authentication value at the current access device, wherein the new access device is identified in a neighborhood relation of the current access device; forwarding security context information comprising at least the master secret authentication value and the roaming authentication value for mutual authentication between the mobile device and the new access device to the new access device from the current access device to the new access device; executing a mutual authentication between the mobile device and the new access device using the roaming authentication value comprised in the security context information; executing a handover from the current access device to the new access device when the executing a handover from the current access device to the new access device when the mutual authentication is successful, the handover being executed between access devices of different communication domains, wherein the current access device is operated in a current communication domain and the new access device is operated in a new communication domain; transmitting security information with respect to the new communication domain from the current access device to the mobile device, wherein the security information comprises at least one item of: an identification of the new communication domain; a new communication authentication value for mutual communication between the mobile device and the new access device in the new communication domain, when the current communication authentication value for mutual communication between the mobile device and the current access device in the current communication domain is not communicated to the new communication domain; a time out period for the new communication authentication value for mutual communication between the mobile device and the new access device in the new communication domain; and an encryption algorithm to be used in the new communication domain.