5G Next Generation of Communication

5G is the next generation of wireless cellular technology that will transform and disrupt every sector across all industries.  

The fundamental idea behind 5G is a single network that is flexible enough to handle a variety of different use cases. In order to deliver the promise of 5G, mobile network operators (MNOs) must build a dense network with a massive amount of network nodes that will form the 5G infrastructure.                                                                                                   

lt will power innovation, which was previously impossible under the 4G LTE standard.       

Data transmitted over 5G wireless broadband connections can travel at multigigabit speeds, 

with potential peak speeds as high as 20 gigabits per second 5G brings three new aspects to the table: bigger channels (to speed up data), lower latency (to be more responsive), and the ability to connect a lot more devices at once (for sensors and smart devices). 

One of the most anticipated use cases of 5G is smart cities. A smart city relies up IoT 

technology which 5G is an enabler for. The creation of smart cities is a gradual digital 

transformation that is already taking place. For a city to be operationally smart everything has to be tightly integrated and interconnected, from the roads, buildings, public and personal devices. 

The IoT sensors collect, communicate, analyze, and act on information, offering new ways for technology, media, and telecommunications. This will open up vast new possibilities for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole but also increase the number of devices connected to the internet by billions. 

The biggest challenge we face upon the implementation of 5G is cybersecurity. The new devices will have undiscovered backdoors that can serve as a channel for attackers to infiltrate business networks. It will also be a catalyst for kinetic cyberattacks. That is a cyberattack that has physical consequences. IoT devices are increasingly facilitating or controlling various physical functions such as vehicle operations, air conditioning, door locks, and building access control systems. 

5G networks will lead to the rise of billions of new devices connected to the Internet, with incredibly fast speeds and remarkably low latency. However, this immensely increases the attack surface and will undoubtedly lead to a rise in super-botnets that will be utilizing smart appliances such as fridges, toasters, kettles, and smart homes to perform DDoS attacks. 

The following are the key takeaways of the 5G network: 

Pros 

● High & increased peak bit rate 

● High capacity to allow more devices connectivity concurrently 

● Better connectivity irrespective of the geographic region where you are in 

● A larger number of supporting devices 

● Higher reliability of the communications 

● Create new innovative business 

Cons 

● Billions of devices connected the lead to a huge increase in attack surface 

● undiscovered vulnerabilities that could lead to backdoors at the enterprise level 

● Due to the number of devices super -botnets are a real threat 

● Number of endpoints to monitor from a security monitoring perspective 

Mujtaba Baz 

Security Analyst & Compliance  

Manchester, UK