Overview of 5G Security Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

The next generation networks (5G) will use novel technological concepts to meet the requirements of broadband access everywhere, high user and device mobility, and connectivity of massive number of devices (e.g. Internet of Things (IoT)) in an ultra-reliable and affordable way. Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) leveraging the advances in cloud computing such as Mobile Edge Computing are the most sought out technologies to meet these requirements. However, securely using these technologies and providing user privacy in future wireless networks are the new concerns. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of the security challenges in clouds, SDN and NFV, and the challenges of user privacy. Henceforth, this paper presents solutions to these challenges and future directions for secure 5G systems.

The Potential Short- and Long-Term Disruptions and Transformative Impacts of 5G and Beyond Wireless Networks: Lessons Learnt From the Development of a 5G Testbed Environment

“…While rolling out 5G networks in the nextgeneration smart cities in general and UK in particular, due to many new features of 5G networks and the fact that 5G will envelop almost all dimensions of human life, business, and government affairs with ultra-high-speed access to services, anywhere, anytime and any type, 5G security requirements have to be thoroughly researched [55]. 5G rollout will also bring a wide range of threats and a greatly expanded attack surface [56]. For example, 5G physical layer security at the RAN [55] is susceptible to new types of attacks and performance bottlenecks such as eavesdropping, contaminating, spoofing, and jamming.…”

“…New 5G paradigms will have to be handled by the UK MNO businesses. For example, security challenges related to network slicing; such as on-demand security isolation of network slices, the security of interslice communications, impersonation attack, security policy mismatch, DoS attack, side-channel attacks, privacy attacks, resource harmonization between inter-domain slice segments and hypervisor attacks have to be considered [56,61]. New types of 5G-based verticals, e.g., IoT, need to establish secure 5G-based network slicing technique with secure key establishment among IoT devices, MEC, and IoT cloud server [67].…”

“…Hence, UK MNOs have to ensure data exchange security for network function (NF) service registration and de-registration, NF service discovery, NF service authorization and authentication in the presence of different attack vectors that may cause loss of NF availability, loss of data integrity, and attack from the insiders [70]. 5G advocates the use of MEC, which offers heterogeneous network nodes inter-operating in an open ecosystem where distributed computing and virtualization may be exploited by service providers to extend the provisions of different applications to the end-users [56]. Hence, at the time of rolling out 5G networks, MEC threats have to be considered at the frontend (UE/IoT to MEC network), backend (MEC network to cloud), and 5G MEC core network [56,67].…”

A Survey on the Security and the Evolution of Osmotic and Catalytic Computing for 5G Networks

“…The attacks and vulnerabilities of attacks, like DoS, are considerable issues for the future mobile generations. Ahmad et al [45] presented the review of the challenges, and privacy and security issues in the clouds, softwaredefined networking, and network function virtualization along with their perspective security solutions. The major contribution of the authors includes the analysis of the attack-vulnerabilities and mitigation for making a secure 5G network.…”

“…The authors discuss the challenges and research directions on the 5G security. Ahmad et al [45] 2018 5G Networks The authors review the challenges and issues of privacy and security in the clouds, software defined networking, and network functions virtualization and presents respective solution for these issues. Wu et al [21] 2018 5G Wireless Networks…”