Semi-Assisted Signal Authentication based on Galileo ACAS

Abstract: A GNSS signal authentication concept named semi-assisted authentication is proposed. It is based on the re-encryption and publication of keystream sequences of some milliseconds from an already existing encrypted signal. Some seconds after the keystreams are transmitted in the signal-in-space, the signal broadcasts the key allowing to decrypt the sequences and the a-posteriori correlation at the receiver. The concept is particularized as Galileo Assisted Commercial Authentication Service, or ACAS, for Galileo E1-B, with OSNMA used for the decryption keys, and E6C, assumed to be encrypted in the near future. This work proposes the ACAS cryptographic operations and a model for signal processing and authentication verification. Semi-assisted authentication can be provided without any modification to the signal plan of an existing GNSS, without the disclosure of signal encryption keys, and for several days of receiver autonomy, depending on its storage capabilities.