5G Core Security: An Insider Threat Vulnerability Assessment

Abstract

The Fifth Generation (5G) technology standard for cellular networks represents a groundbreaking enabler that is widely adopted within mainstream industries (e.g., Internet of Things, Healthcare, Autonomous vehicles, transportation) and provides a myriad of benefits in terms of flexibility, scalability, and accessibility. In this work, we perform a vulnerability assessment of the 5G Core (5GC) from an insider perspective through a comprehensive analysis of its architecture and communication protocols. We present a threat model and an assessment framework with a reference to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 62443-3-2:2020 standard, which applies to critical cyber-physical infrastructures. We use the OpenAirInterface (OAI) to deploy an experimental Fifth Generation (5G) testbed and perform extensive experiments to validate our findings. We propose solutions to mitigate the identified vulnerabilities, thus achieving a more secure 5G infrastructure.