FEATURE : 5G

Udo Schneider , IoT Security Evangelist , Trend Micro , discusses the main cybersecurity challenges associated with 5G technology and examines the role of Edge Computing in 5G networks .

What are the primary cybersecurity challenges associated with the implementation of 5G technology ?

The main challenge facing 5G cybersecurity is the perception that 5G is simply a faster radio network . While the message of ‘ more bandwidth ’ and ‘ lower latency ’ resonates well with consumers and IoT users , from a security perspective , the radio part of 5G is relatively uninteresting . It is important to understand that a 5G network is a complex system of off-the-shelf components that require deployment , maintenance and operation . Treating it as ‘ just the network ’ fails to recognise its complexity and leaves it vulnerable to attackers . Therefore , the challenge is more a matter of addressing the wrong perception rather than developing totally new protection technologies .

How does 5G ’ s architecture inherently affect its security posture , compared to previous generations of mobile networks ?

The key difference between 5G and its predecessors is that most 5G Core and Radio Access network components are well-defined software components that communicate through specified APIs . These components are typically implemented as virtual machines or containers , making development , deployment , and operation fast and easy . While this software-driven architecture has advantages , such as flexibility and ease of maintenance , its implementation also poses risks . Due to its use of off-the-shelf technology , a 5G implementation is comparable to a large virtualisation / private cloud implementation ,

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