5G Security Features: What Is in Store for the Near Future?

5G promises much higher bandwidth capacity that could exceed 1 to 2 Gbps, has a tenfold speed cap increase to 300 Mbps, and a significant decrease in communication latency, which could go as low as a couple milliseconds (compared to its predecessor 4G which had an average latency of approximate 25 to 40 milliseconds). While 5G will open the floodgates for a breadth of new Internet of Things (IoT) applications aided by high-speed connections and added tech features, it will still have some hurdles to overcome security-wise. The good news is, however, that some vital security options will be part of the first 5G wave.

Cyber-Attack Mitigation: At its very core 5G is a communication protocol geared toward high-speed connectivity, but certain key security implementations have made it into its architecture and try to at least address some concerns. From a cybersecurity perspective, cellular communication is inherently insecure, and that goes for all previous generations (2G, 3G, 4G). Among others, data traffic, location-based information, and user and device information can be tracked, Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks can be launched through hacked stations and femtocells, rogue stations can intercept user communications, and attackers can eavesdrop on both user and device communication. Targets could be literally anything, from low-tier consumer-focused applications to mid-tier smart city verticals or connected automotive, or even to mission-critical, high-value operations in connected manufacturing and critical infrastructure.

Easier to Implement (Some) Security Measures: On top of most of the aforementioned attacks, 5G will also greatly enhance attackers’ Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) capabilities. That is because it will be an Internet Protocol (IP)-driven cellular technology that will greatly magnify existing security concerns. There are also some concerns that network jamming and MitM attacks might even be exacerbated in 5G. As a general rule of thumb, security should follow a parallel trajectory to connectivity technologies—not having the former trying to catch up with the latter after the industry can no longer ignore blatant protection concerns.

Better Encryption Capabilities and IMSI: Some next-generation cellular technologies have been adapted in order to provide 5G some much-needed assistance in the emerging cyber-threat horizon. 5G will provide an important encryption boost moving to 256-bit encryption versus the 128-bit of its 4G predecessor. Additionally, previous cellular technologies do not encrypt certain communication channels or data types related to user location, Identification (ID), and device information (many of which could be extrapolated by attackers using machine learning tools). To combat these issues, 5G is expected to offer more well-rounded encryption, covering more data sources and including user information. This is often referred to International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) encryption and is currently touted as a key value proposition for 5G security.

Advanced Encryption Algorithms to Support IoT Development for Cellular-Centric Markets: 5G can make use of more advanced security algorithms like the Extensible Authentication Protocol-Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS) protocol which, if properly implemented, will greatly enhance its IoT security capabilities, thus aiding in smart city applications, larger scale implementations, and the larger IoT ecosystem. It will also extend security encryption features for consumer-centric applications that are inherently insecure (e.g., smart home). This will be relevant for cellular-centric markets rather than other connectivity options and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has confirmed that future Low-Power Wide-Area (LPWA) use cases will continue to be addressed by evolving Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M as part of the 5G specifications.

ABI Research expects most security features to revolve around the network architecture changes that will follow. Seeing how key IoT markets react, even in the short term, will provide insight into the future connectivity landscape of IoT as a whole. 5G will implement a new network security architecture entitled Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP). This will allow for protection against some cyber vulnerabilities like eavesdropping and replay attacks, enable End-to-End (E2E) encryption, and management of encryption keys. 5G network architecture will also include network slicing, which is the terminology used to describe a very familiar operation in IT: virtualization. This is a key focal point for network operators since it will grant them multifaceted and flexible access to different applications on the very same physical infrastructure. As expected, this is also bound to be a vital selling point for future IoT applications that are currently evolving toward such a multi-spectrum, multi-vertical, interconnected domain.