Security News > 2022 > December > NSA shares tips on mitigating 5G network slicing threats
The National Security Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, have published a joint report that highlights the most likely risks and potential threats in 5G network slicing implementations.
The 5G network slicing report builds upon Potential Threat Vectors to 5G Infrastructure, a paper published last year by the Enduring Security Framework cross-sector working group focused on addressing risks and threats to the security and stability of U.S. national security systems.
Network slicing is made possible through Network Function Virtualization, one of the main advantages of a 5G network, offering different users operational efficiency, resiliency, and higher quality of service and support.
Mobile network operators implement 5G network slicing via specialized network Management and Network Orchestration systems.
"While there are standards defining specifications for how network operators build their 5G network, there are not clear specifications for how network operators should develop and implement security for network slicing," mentions the paper.
The three most relevant threat vectors to 5G network slicing are denial of service attacks on centralized control elements, attacks leveraging misconfigured system controls, and man-in-the-middle attacks on unencrypted network channels.