It’s no secret that the arrival of fifth-generation (5G) wireless networking will usher in a new wave of powerful business advantages. However, 5G also opens the door for an influx of threat vectors your enterprise will have to navigate along the way.
In this guide, we’ll help you learn the ins and outs of 5G security. From what it is and why it’s at risk to how you can protect it, we’ll discuss everything there is to know about strengthening your 5G security architecture.
What is 5G security?
5G security can be defined as the convergence of cyber and physical security controls to protect an underlying 5G infrastructure. This includes securing hardware, software, core network traffic, users, and data accessing or flowing through any 5G network.
Why is this important? It's only a matter of time before cyber threats challenge your 5G deployment — and in turn, your sensitive information. Although 5G technology is relatively new, many bad actors are already attempting to exploit vulnerabilities. And, with how much critical infrastructure relies on 5G networking, the stakes are growing larger by the day.
Indeed, there are several considerations to keep in mind:
- An increased attack surface: A connected device refers to any computer, laptop, or mobile device that accesses the core network. With millions and even billions of connected devices, 5G opens up a significantly larger attack surface, making it vulnerable to more frequent and sophisticated cyber threats. Each becomes a potential entry point for hackers, increasing the risk of unauthorized access.
- The Internet of Things (IoT): IoT devices — especially personal, unmanaged assets — are inherently risky because security isn’t normally built in by design. Each IoT device on a network represents another potential gap a hacker can expose. Worse yet, whether purposefully or not, organizations are adding new devices in droves. In fact, IDC estimates there are 55.7 billion connected devices in the world.
- A growing threat landscape: As 5G technology becomes widespread, the threat landscape is also evolving. The rapid proliferation of connected devices — combined with IoT, artificial intelligence (AI), and edge computing — creates a more complex environment for security teams to manage. Additionally, the shift to decentralized and software-defined networks in 5G opens up new vulnerabilities, allowing cybercriminals to exploit weaknesses in virtualized infrastructure and network slicing. As a result, the scale and scope of potential attacks have expanded significantly, requiring more advanced and proactive security measures to keep pace with evolving threats.
- Decreased network visibility: With 5G, our networks will only expand and become more usable by mobile users and devices. This means organizations have much more network traffic to manage. But, without a robust security solution, they may not be able to gain the network visibility required to identify abnormalities or a potential attack.
- Legacy infrastructure and untrusted components with known vulnerabilities: 5G builds upon previous generations and is currently being integrated with 4G long-term evolution (LTE) networks that contain legacy vulnerabilities. Some of these may affect 5G equipment and networks despite the integration of additional security features.
Notably, 5G also represents a significant improvement in terms of cybersecurity. Compared to past generations, it’s been designed from the outset with threat protection as one of its foundational elements.
For instance, 5G technology introduces the concept of the Subscriber Concealed Identity (SUCI). In essence, 5G devices don’t send their true identity over the air; instead, they send an encrypted version — the SUCI. This concealment relies on public key cryptography, which encrypts the member’s ID to safeguard against vulnerabilities.
Understanding 5G
Building a solid 5G network security posture requires a stable foundation. Let’s review the basics of 5G, how it compares to past generations, and why it’s so important for the future of enterprise networking.
What is 5G?
In short, 5G is the fifth generation of wireless telecommunication networks.
According to the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA), a new generation of mobile network technology is released roughly every 10 years — and with it comes a host of benefits. For example, here’s how networking has evolved over the past few decades:
- 1980s: First generation (1G) wireless networks brought the very first cell phones.
- 1990s: 2G brought improved coverage and texting.
- 2000s: 3G introduced voice with data and internet access.
- 2010s: 4G LTE delivered faster speeds to keep up with increasing mobile data demand and rising network traffic.
- Now: 5G technology will transform the digital landscape and serve as a catalyst for innovation, new markets, and economic growth. As tens of billions of devices are connected to the internet through 5G, these connections will empower a vast array of new services in healthcare, manufacturing, finance, AI, and critical infrastructure. Likewise, 5G connectivity is stepping up to handle enormous bandwidth demands and enable seamless live streaming at scale.
5G wireless networks are available in most major American cities and towns. Globally, Italy ranks the highest on the European 5G scoreboard, with 99.7% of households having access to 5G connectivity. Looking ahead, telecom operators are continuing to invest heavily in the infrastructure necessary to expand their 5G reach and will do exactly that in the coming years.
How does 5G work?
Telecommunication networks facilitate the connection between mobile devices and the broader internet. These networks are divided into two main components: the mobile network and the core network.
The mobile network consists of cellular networks, which are made up of base stations that wirelessly connect devices within specific geographical areas, called cells. Base stations transmit data between those devices and the core network, ensuring seamless connectivity for users.
The core network is responsible for managing data flow, routing traffic, and providing essential services such as authentication, call switching, and internet access. In 5G networks, the core network has evolved to support faster data speeds, lower latency, and advanced features like network slicing, which allows operators to create customized virtual networks for different applications.
As CISA explains, the 5G infrastructure enables billions of additional connected devices, sensors, and systems to intelligently access the core network based on time sensitivity and computational needs.
Like 4G LTE, it’s based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), a process that encodes digital signals in a particular way to reduce interference. Alongside OFDM, 5G wireless networks leverage low-, mid-, and high-band spectrum, which requires the deployment of small cells and macro towers.
In simple terms, small cells act as signal repeaters that enhance speed, network capacity, and reliability in high-density areas. Macro towers are small transmitters installed on buildings and other structures, allowing telecom operators to support even more devices at faster speeds.
What’s the difference between 4G and 5G?
5G represents a marked improvement over previous networking technologies. According to CISA, 5G offers:
- 100x faster download speeds: A 3GB movie would take 40 minutes to download on 4G LTE, but only 35 seconds on a 5G network.
- 10x decrease in latency: 5G rapidly accelerates data response times, which can be as low as one millisecond. In other words, you can find what you’re looking for at a moment’s notice.
- 100x network capacity: 5G can handle a much greater volume of network traffic, allowing millions of connected devices to access the same network from the same area without failure.
From telemedicine to Industry 4.0, these benefits translate into substantial productivity gains for use cases of all shapes and sizes.
5G network security risks
5G infrastructure has many key components that contribute to its power. However, they also represent important threats to network security. Let’s take a look at each security concern in more detail:
- Network slicing is a configuration strategy that allows multiple networks to stack on top of a common physical infrastructure. Each “slice” of the network can be allocated based on specific needs or use cases. On the downside, this increases complexity and requires each slice to implement its own security requirements commensurate with its use case. A misconfigured network could allow denial-of-service, man-in-the-middle, and other attacks to slip through the cracks. Worse yet, the sheer scale of network slicing introduces billions of potential attack vectors, as a successful breach could infiltrate many slices or domains simultaneously.
- User equipment (UE) refers to hardware intended for consumer use, such as a mobile phone or IoT device. In a 2022 study, researchers tested the impact that UE-based Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks could have on 5G infrastructure. Not only did their results indicate that 5G networks are vulnerable to DDoS attacks, but a successful strike would prove devastating to network performance.
- Virtualization and cloud services play a big role in 5G deployment. According to CISA, most networks are instantiated on virtualized compute, network, and storage resources and leverage both private and public cloud platforms. This means they exist outside the walled perimeter of dedicated servers and protocols. Network functions are now performed by software, and software is hackable — therefore, 5G infrastructure built atop software code is susceptible to attack.
5G security solutions
As PwC argues, all participants in the 5G ecosystem — including mobile operators, network vendors, system integrators, and end businesses — should agree to assess the health of every component before it’s permitted to connect to the network. Moreover, they should agree to limit or deny access based on this assessment.
In other words, a robust 5G security architecture must be built upon strict authentication. Accordingly, there are several best practice solutions for doing exactly that:
1. Zero Trust
A vital first step toward protecting any network is to implement a Zero Trust framework. Eliminating implicit trust for all entities will reduce risk exposure across the board, as all components must first undergo a process of risk-based authentication. Only if they meet all access control requirements will they be allowed a network connection, thereby mitigating the threat of unauthorized access.
2. Public key infrastructure (PKI)
With an advanced PKI solution, organizations can use cryptographic keys to provide a secure foundation for 5G networking. PKI enables strong authentication procedures, as each entity is issued its own digital certificate proving its identity.
Take the Entrust PKI portfolio, for example. Our Certificate Authority solution simplifies certificate lifecycle management, allowing you to issue, revoke, or renew at scale. It reduces the risk of expired certificates poking holes in your security posture by automating the workflow in one transparent interface. Administrators can be automatically notified by email about certificates approaching expiration and can view certificates approaching key lifecycle events via the system dashboard.
3. Hardware security modules
Hardware security modules (HSMs) should be used to generate, store, and manage cryptographic keys. This critical protection layer keeps keys out of plain sight where a threat actor could intercept them. More importantly, HSMs store high-value cryptographic assets in hardened, tamper-resistant devices, which is widely considered to be best practice. The use of HSMs such as Entrust nShield HSMs is recommended in national and regional standards such as the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) Security in 5G Specifications.
Protect your 5G network with Entrust
Using the right combination of strategies and solutions, organizations can safely navigate the uncharted waters of 5G security. And, with Entrust at your side, you don’t have to do it alone. Access our portfolio of nShield HSMs, PKI, and Zero Trust technologies to successfully harden your defenses against the looming 5G threats. Paired with our leadership and expertise, you’ll be well on your way to a prosperous future, supported by a secure next-generation network.
