5G Network - What are the risks?

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to another post from ToBeSecured. On last week I received a multitude of positive feedback from my social media followers. I appreciate all criticism and as always I am working to create a space where everyone is comfortable with conversing with me about the many different privacy topics out in the world. In addition, never hesitate to leave a question or comment about a topic you’re uncertain about.

On today’s topic, I decided to discuss the new 5G network and how it will affect our lives. I remember coming across an article about it a while back, maybe last year, but I only wrote an essay about it.

5G is the next-generation of mobile networks beyond LTE mobile networks. LTE is an acronym for long term evolution, for those of you who aren’t aware. Any new network or service will demand additional levels of security due to the increase of attacks or threats. At least four major phone carriers in the US — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint — have solid plans to introduce their mobile 5G networks in 2019.

5G networks support an extensive number of connected devices, authorize a huge increase of bandwidth over LTE, and create a threat perspective different from previous networks. Security challenges stem from the very attributes that creates improvement for 5G. The leading example is IoT, or Internet of Things. IoT is the vision that millions of devices will be connected to each other and the internet allowing people to communicate with machines, and machines to communicate with other machines.

In 2018, Wipro released a cybersecurity report that raised concerns for 5G. The report lists Internet of Things (IoT) as one major avenue for attack, since 5G enables IoT to be much larger than on previous networks. The future of communications will drive new 5G security requirements, because of concerns for new use cases and new network architectures.

Automated vehicles is the first example of what will demand new, varying levels of security. The threat of automotive cyberattacks will rise as autonomous vehicles become more widespread. Our vehicles depend on connectivity and technology that runs on complex software. As information technology becomes increasingly essential to our daily lives, our dependency on ensuing information systems grows. In turn, we experience an increase in vulnerabilities and potential attacks against those systems. Cybersecurity rose out of necessity to protect these systems and the information contained within them. Applied to vehicles, cybersecurity takes on an even more important role: systems and components that govern safety must be protected from harmful attacks, unauthorized access, damage, or anything else that might interfere with safety functions. To combat this, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration employs a multi-layered approach to cybersecurity as it approves driver assistance technologies.

What is their strategy? To ensure a comprehensive cybersecurity environment, NHTSA has adopted a multi-faceted research approach that leverages the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework and encourages industry to adopt practices that improve the cybersecurity posture of their vehicles in the United States. NHTSA's goal is to collaborate with the automotive industry to proactively address vehicle cybersecurity challenges, and to continuously seek methods to mitigate associated safety risks.

In the healthcare field, 5G capabilities will help with faster transfer of large patient files, remote surgery, and remote patient monitoring via IoT devices among other advances. However, those advances are tempered by the need for ever-stronger security. Creating risks that include medical identity theft, invasion of health privacy, and medical data management. The above Wipro report states that the healthcare industry was the target of 40 percent of data breaches in 2017. It adds that growing IoT device use will make dealing with increasing cybersecurity risks more challenging.

Smart homes will require stronger methods of authentication, such as biometric identification, seen in Software made by Sensory that uses voice and face recognition, or the bevy of fingerprint-access door locks available at hardware stores.

In general, IoT devices and sensors will demand more complex authentication to prevent unauthorized access.

The 5G quality will offer a multitude of benefits, such as enhanced speed and performance, lower latency, and better efficiency. But it will also come with risks. Considerably increased numbers of devices and an elevated use of virtualization and the cloud will mean numerous of 5G security threats and a broader, multifaceted attack surface. To perceive a strong and healthy communications future, the industry needs to preserve a laser focus on 5G security.

What are your thoughts?

If you would like to discuss further, please leave a comment or ask a question. I'd love to chat with my readers and hear your thoughts. Thank you for dropping in and remember ToBeSecured!