P-CSCF Discovery (Proxy-CSCF Discovery)

P-CSCF discovery is the procedure by which a VoLTE/VoNR UE learns the IP address(es) of its serving Proxy-CSCF: via DHCP options 120/135 (RFC 3319/3361), PCO in EPS/5GS attach (TS 29.061/29.503), or via home-domain DNS NAPTR/SRV lookup. The selected P-CSCF becomes the SIP entry point and IMS-AKA anchor for the subscriber.

Categories: Radio Access NetworkSignalingThreats and Attacks

P-CSCF Discovery in context

The radio access network is where mobile devices attach to the operator's infrastructure. Attacks in this layer include IMSI catching, rogue base stations and downgrade attacks; defenses rest on mutual authentication, integrity-protected signaling and Open RAN supply-chain hygiene.

Signaling protocols carry the control-plane messages that set up calls, register subscribers and route SMS. SS7, Diameter, GTP-C and SIP are the four dominant families, and interconnect exposure of any of them is treated by GSMA as top-tier telecom risk.

To place P-CSCF Discovery in the wider telecom-security picture, review Lawful Interception Abuse Risk, Lawful Interception Architecture, Revenue Assurance, Telecom Penetration Testing, Chain of Custody and O-RAN Interfaces (A1, E2, O1, O2) — each entry cross-references back to this page so you can walk the topic in either direction.

Related terms

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