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Private 5G Networks Pose Unique Cybersecurity Challenges

As more and more organizations implement private 5G networks, their security teams face a unique set of benefits, challenges and risks.

As Axios reports, private 5G networks have been arriving everywhere from schools and hospitals to construction sites, mines and live events including sports and music festivals. Such networks can be used to speed up operations—or impress customers.

Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst of ZK Research, told SDxCentral that the cloud-native architecture of private 5G “provides an enhanced level of security, since if one service or part of the code is breached, it can be isolated and patched quickly versus a monolithic software stack.”

Lisa Pierce, managing vice president at Gartner, told the news site that while 5G offers more potential entry points for threat actors than its predecessor technology, LTE, the stand also offers more security capabilities.

Internet of thingsAccording to a white paper by Omdia, private 5G demands more thought about factoring in new endpoints. The firm’s research indicates that most organizations plan to manage the 5G private network core, internet-of-things devices and data network while hiring vendors to manage the radio access network (RAN) and multi-access edge compute (MEC) pieces.

Of about 150 organizations surveyed by Omdia, 60% said they believe that fully integrating enterprise 5G network security with existing security tools and services will require new measures.

As Computer Weekly reports, a study by Spirent projects the private 5G market will be $7.7 billion by 2027.

Spirent’s principal strategist for private networks, Marc Cohn, said in a statement that “private network resiliency requirements, complexity and risk thresholds are introducing new dynamics. To ensure success, rigorous testing is essential at every step of the private network lifecycle–from network design and validation testing, field and acceptance testing, to live network operations and maintenance.”

 

 

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