What impact will 5G have on cybersecurity? 5G is the fifth generation of moveable networks. It brings a new Internet e 5G allows many devices and networks to connect at scale, which was previously impossible with previous generations.
The Internet of Things can also reach its true potential with the help of 5G. Smart cities are now possible thanks to this revolutionary technology. There are several other reasons why 5G is superior to different generations.
Why is 5G better than 4G?
Various cellular organizations have contributed and made great efforts to develop a 5G network with substantial advances over the 4G network. 5G is based on wireless networking technology that allows you to be:
- Better network distribution: With network slicing, 5G makes partitioning networks to scale speed and coverage easy.
- Faster: The maximum speed of 4G LTE is 1 Gb/s, while 5G can reach 20 Gb/s.
- Low latency: 5G latency can reach around ten milliseconds, well below the average 30 milliseconds for 4G.
- High frequency: 5G can operate between 30 GHz and 300 GHz. That’s a thousand times faster than 4G, which can only handle a maximum of 6 GHz.
5G cybersecurity threats
Although 5G brings many improvements, it still has vulnerabilities and cybersecurity issues. Some are already featured, and others will come in the future once 5G is successfully adopted:
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks:
DDoS attacks are the most common and significant threat to the Internet and networks. Threat actors and hackers attempt this attack by sending large volumes of traffic to a specific network or website in order to exceed its capacity.
The threat actor uses already compromised systems to generate massive traffic, and in recent years, various IoT devices have also been compromised to carry out these types of attacks. For example, in 2016, several compromised IOT devices called Mirai botnets were used to carry out a DDoS attack on ISP servers.
5G network advances will help DDoS attacks spread faster and more efficiently. As different and more devices connect to the Internet, it will become much easier to attempt a DDoS attack. Furthermore, attackers can easily use even more IoT devices to attempt more attacks.
The impact of a DDoS attack will also be more significant. Once 5G is adopted worldwide, multiple government networks and intelligent cities running on the Internet will increase the risk of DDoS attempts, as downtime will affect the physical environment.
Legacy vulnerabilities
Since 5G is still in its early days, mobile providers plan to use LTE networks for 5G, which will transfer vulnerabilities from 4G and LTE networks to 5G networks. It also means that 5G will continue to rely on GTP protocols, allowing data packets to be transferred between wireless networks.
Accessible to small target cells
The fifth-generation network has less coverage capacity. Therefore, 5G technology uses small physical cells to increase coverage. An increase in network points will create more vulnerabilities and increase the potential for cyberattacks.
Networks based on less secure software
Unlike 4G and 3G, 5G networks are based on software, not physical networks. At first, these networks are managed by AI, which could make the networks more exposed and more difficult for security checks to examine.
Conclusion:
Although 5G has many advantages and improvements, it also has disadvantages. As we have seen before, any new advancement in the Internet or technology poses a new challenge for cybersecurity. 5G networks are large-scale and will take time and effort to protect.