Consumers around the world are eagerly awaiting the arrival of 5G and its promises of a more connected future. In particular, 5G is going to drive Internet of Things like never before. Personally, I can't wait to download entire seasons on Netflix in two minutes.
However, as with any emerging technology, there are always going to be issues that need ironing out. With 5G, concerns mainly surround the security implications it presents. In fact, some people fear that, given how powerful it is, it will unleash an entirely new calibre of threat in correlation with that.
The 5G security fears
5G is going to ramp up the amount of data travelling through the network, particularly as it connects more devices. With data collection significantly amplified, so becomes the value of it to malicious attackers. There are concerns that attackers will be able to take advantage of the 5G network to access the IoT devices attached to them.
For example, malicious actors may be able to attack 5G-enabled cameras, posing a huge privacy threat. Not only that, but location data is feared to be more accurate, thus giving an indication of where you are that is too close for comfort.
Worse still, some fear that 5G will be a hotbed for distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. In fact, some go as far as to say that 5G will enable DDoS attacks on a scale so significant, that it'll render the entire internet useless.
With these concerns brewing, it shines a spotlight on device security. Malicious actors only need one poorly secured device to cause significant damage, and the increase in connected devices will only create more opportunities for them.
A sad but true issue is that most CISOs don't have the resources to combat even pre-5G attacks. Naturally then, if we don't have the preparation for current attacks, there's not much scope to mitigate the newer ones.
However, this is not to suggest that 5G isn't something we can enjoy. It's just that it necessitates awareness, heightened vigilance, and preparation. In fact, there are a number of 5G security solutions available today that are most definitely worth exploring.
To find out more about 5G and DDoS attacks, check out this opinion piece here.
