5G is the latest version of wireless technology. As per a study, by 2027, half of the mobile subscribers will switch to 5G. The technology promises to revolutionize connectivity while offering lower latency than 4G, lighting fast speeds and making an IoT world a reality. Although, 5G also comprises some cybersecurity risks that firms must address before it becomes conventional for day-to-day operations. The blog covers the cybersecurity risks and explains how 5G networks can help IT professionals solve the issue.
5G Cybersecurity Threats
The four significant risks that IT professionals face while switching to 5G are
IoT devices being exposed to threat actors
The significant growth of the IoT systems is driven by industrial IoT devices, network appliances, business, and consumer electronics. 5G technology will advance some IoT functions, resulting in the rapid increase of IoT devices and many security problems for which the experts may not be prepared.
Due to the designs, IoT devices are eminently vulnerable. Every day new faults occur in the IoT systems, be it delayed patching, lack of security, or misconfiguration.
The spammers can benefit from the increased connectivity to increase the speed of the network attacks. They can even disrupt the supply chain, spread malware, and launch denial of service to the systems.
A limited pool of security experts
The security experts often fail to maintain pace with the emergence of new technologies, resulting in a cybersecurity workforce gap. And while many enterprises are heading towards machine learning and security automation, they may be unable to cover all risky areas.
This cybersecurity workforce gap has led to many business operations and network issues. Thus leading to more vulnerability to threats.
Fortunately, 5G has some significant security and privacy wins, protecting its users from online network threats. For example, 5G encrypts identifiers, extends security, and provides users the benefit of privacy gains.
Vulnerabilities in private wireless networks
The 5G technology allows enterprises to combine the independent and virtualized logical network segments on a physical one. This lets the companies isolate the verticals of client network segments.
Additionally, when you place multiple nodes in an unprotected network, the user plane separation may get vulnerable after the poorly protected IoT devices get attacked by DDoS, which may also impact machine-type communication systems.
Edge attacks
A mobile computing atmosphere means increased exposure for organizations and enterprises. The IT experts can also alleviate various vulnerabilities by using a holistic approach to building end-to-end protected networks that secures the data from the cloud’s edge. This security method of the 5G technology then minimizes the risk, making it impossible for the spammers to steal the company’s details. Also, it minimizes the cost related to lost business and potential fines because of the edge attacks.
Conclusion
Hence, the above information shows switching to 5G is a good alternative. As many other advances are possible with 5G technology, there is a significant need to improve the security of its devices and applications. Its not only a concern of network user security but also national safety.
