1. A method of authenticating an application, the method comprising: performing, with a server application, bootstrapping procedures between the server application and a bootstrapping server function server; deriving a shared key based on at least a key received from the bootstrapping server function server during the bootstrapping procedures and a network application function identifier; providing the application with a bootstrapping transaction identifier, the bootstrapping transaction identifier being received from the bootstrapping server function server during the bootstrapping procedures; receiving a response from the application; and authenticating the application by validating the response with the shared key.