User-plane traffic for 5G will continue to use GTP Protocol, leaving it open to GTP flaws. Nevertheless, the 5G architecture does offer a number of significant cybersecurity advances, building on the improvements of the 4G technology that have been shown, such as encryption, mutual authentication, integrity protection, privacy, and availability. Nevertheless, multi-generational security will be essential to ward off attacks from 2G, 3G, and 4G during the transition to 5G and even after.
The security practices used by the 5G system, including the 5G core and the 5G New Radio, are covered by new 5G specifications. Important improvements to 5G security include:
● Roaming Security: The brand-new Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) offers supplementary defense against acknowledged inter-exchange/roaming vulnerabilities. In order to improve the roaming experience, lower costs, and stop fraud, 5G also gives network operators the ability to direct home consumers to preferred visiting partner networks.
● Network Slicing Security – Enables mobile operators to build distinctive network "slices" (separate networks operating on top of the common mobile infrastructure) with their own distinct security requirements to serve various use-case scenarios (e.g., video conferencing, V2X applications).
● Identity Privacy – Like IMSI, the subscriber permanent identifier for 5G is encrypted to prevent clear-text communication. Frequently changing the globally unique temporary identity is another requirement of 5G. Both of these new features make it more difficult for hackers to steal identities using listening devices or rogue base stations.
Even if 5G security is a significant improvement, roaming partners or older mobile technologies that use GTP will continue to expose mobile networks to GTP threats. In order to maintain uninterrupted operations for their networks and users, mobile operators will need to build a GTP firewall to defend against GTP-based assaults coming in via access networks, roaming partners, IoT, and more.
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