Security model and authentication protocol in EPON-based optical access network

An EPON, which is going on standardization in IEEE 802.3ah, consists of a OLT and multiple ONU using passive optical components. So this network is susceptible to variable security threats such as eavesdropping, masquerading, denial of service and so on. In this paper we propose the security model and the security protocol to support authentication in EPON based optical access network. We analyze security threats and security models in EPON reference model. After considering these models, we propose that encryption layer is placed at RS Layer. This paper proposes an authentication protocol based on public key exchange and a key establishment protocol. User authentication and ONU authentication are performed separately to efficient key management and strong authentication service.