You can’t turn on the television or stream content without seeing ads for the 5G revolution and how it is going to make the future of organizations and individuals better and brighter.
Well that bright future and the benefits it will bring may be true, 5G poses five greater security risks than traditional broadband according to a study released by the Brookings Institute.
“5G will be a physical overhaul of our essential networks that will have decades-long impact. Because 5G is the conversion to a mostly all-software network, future upgrades will be software updates much like the current upgrades to your smartphone. Because of the cyber vulnerabilities of software, the tougher part of the real 5G “race” is to retool how we secure the most important network of the 21st century and the ecosystem of devices and applications that sprout from that network.” -Brooking Institute
Five Good Reasons to Rethink Your Security as You Move to 5G
- The 5G network represents a move from centralized, hardware-based switching to distributed, software-defined digital routing. Hardware networks by their very nature provided discrete points where cyber cleanliness could be addressed. This is not the case with the software oriented 5G ecosystem.
- Higher-level network functions formerly performed by physical appliances or “boxes” are now being virtualized within software. This increases cyber vulnerability.
- Unlike a physical network, at its core the 5G network is run by software. If an attacker gets control of the software, he can also control the network.
- More bandwidth means more potential avenues of attack.
- More bandwidth equals more connected devices, perhaps billions more IoT devices, and that means billions of potentially hackable devices.
What’s an Organization to Do?
The Brookings Institute recommends that organizations take control of their own 5G security and not rely on or expect the service providers to handle it for them.
More specifically, organizations should:
- Implement machine learning and AI solutions – Since 5G is software based your security will need to be as well.
- Shift to leading indicators – In the fast paced world of 5G, lagging indicators just won’t cut it.
- Apply the NIST Cybersecurity Framework – This framework establishes the five areas of cybersecurity that every organization should be addressing:
1. Identify
2. Protect
3. Detect
4. Respond
5. Recover
Konsultek Knows Security
Konsultek, along with software-oriented partners like Gigamon can help your organization increase your visibility into your network in real time. And of course, our customized approach to security solutions can address all of your security needs, including your transition to 5G networks and devices.