A Network Traffic Mutation Based Ontology, and Its Application to 5G Networks

Abstract

This paper presents an ontology based on mutation techniques for the modelling of cybersecurity attacks and its application to 5G networks. Main concepts of network protocols, mutation operators, flow of network packets and network traffic are introduced. An ontology is designed based on different mutation operators that allow to design models that can be assimilated with known and unknown attacks. This approach has been implemented in our open source 5G network traffic fuzzer, 5Greplay, and has been applied to three use cases that are representative of attacks against 5G networks: NAS Replay attack, Denial of Service by Sending Malformed NGAP Packets and 5G encapsulation of IoT traffic.

Cyber5Gym: An Integrated Framework for 5G Cybersecurity Training

“…It is an open-source 5G network traffic fuzzer designed to evaluate 5G components by replaying, modifying 5G network traffic, and injecting network scenarios into a target, which can be a 5G service such as Core Network (e.g., AMF, SMF) or a RAN network (e.g., gNodeB). This aligns with study [40] that explores the inherent weaknesses of 5G technology and underscores the pressing need for robust defense mechanisms. Such research is pivotal in developing comprehensive strategies to counteract emerging security threats in 5G networks.…”

“…The existing works in 5G cybersecurity training are instrumental but have limitations such as lack of realism [11], limited scope of attack scenarios [10,26,35], absence of comprehensive countermeasures [10,25,40], and the challenge of reproducibility [12,14]. This paper distinguishes itself from the abovementioned studies by presenting a comprehensive approach to training and evaluating cybersecurity defenders in a realistic 5G network envi-ronment.…”

“…This paper distinguishes itself from the abovementioned studies by presenting a comprehensive approach to training and evaluating cybersecurity defenders in a realistic 5G network envi-ronment. While previous research [10,12,25,26,35,40] has primarily focused on individual aspects of 5G security, such as network slicing, specific threat vectors, or the development of testing tools, our work integrates these insights to address the unique security challenges and vulnerabilities inherent in 5G networks. We propose an autonomous cybersecurity system, contextualized within the broader narrative of 5G security challenges, that is capable of emulating real-world 5G attack scenarios.…”

A Vulnerability Assessment of Open-Source Implementations of Fifth-Generation Core Network Functions

“…This is important in understanding the evolving nature of security threats in 5G networks. Additionally, Salazar et al [9] discuss the new cybersecurity threats introduced by 5G SBA, emphasizing the ineffectiveness of previously adopted security and privacy mechanisms in the context of 5G. Mahyoub et al [10] present a detailed 5G security analysis from the perspective of network architecture.…”