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How can we protect our smart cities in the age of 5G?

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    • 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G – now 5G is here. And it's got a lot going for it. But as the fifth generation of mobile networks is poised for a pivotal role in the future of business, society and technology, a recent report by Securing Smart Cities has warned what we might need to think carefully about how to protect our citadels. But first, what exactly is a smart city? And what does 5G have to do with it? Smart cities are connected Smart cities usually occupy six dimensions: people, technology, infrastructure, management, economy and government. Put simply; a smart city uses internet of things (IoT) sensors and technology to connect components across a city to make everyday life easier for its citizens. Sounds complicated, but it's reasonably simple: sensors and connected devices allow cities to manage and monitor infrastructure, transport and financial systems, postal services and more. Traffic could run more efficiently, payment transactions made more secure and remote emergency surgery (think advanced drones replacing paramedics) could become commonplace. According to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), global smart city tech investment is set to reach $135bn by 2021. So what's behind this rapid rise? In short: 5G. This new network is estimated to be up to 100 times faster than the present 4G systems, with up to 25 times lower latency (lag time) and as many as one million devices supported per square km; that's a staggering one thousand times what's currently possible! This increased bandwidth brings many new possibilities, like autonomous driving, and better connectivity. But, with these possibilities come significant threats. The far-reaching risks of 5G As with every new technology, it's essential to be aware of how it can affect IT security infrastructures. 5G will serve as the foundation for many future technologies; however, the security concerns are inescapable. It's evolved from 4G, from which it will inevitably inherit vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. If 5G is to play a crucial role in smart cities, governments and industry leaders should promote secure 5G projects that enhance services but also ensure stability and quality of life for its citizens. Art by Martin Widenka So what are the specific risks and challenges to look out for? The 5G Security and Privacy for Smart Cities report, which I co-authored with David Jordan and Alan Seow, has an extensive explanation. Here are the key things you need to know. From protocol weaknesses to DDoS attacks As 5G and smart devices connect our cities, it will cover more areas than today's telecommunications equipment, giving previously non-network devices connectivity and centralized management. This means better visibility, efficiency and performance, but also exposes the population to more risks as the entire system is connected. If one node is attacked, many more may be affected. For example, 5G will increase the risk and potential damage of large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This is when a hacker overloads a machine or network with traffic to render it useless. DDoS attacks are used to disable the online services of banks and e-commerce platforms, but the city's critical infrastructure is a significant weak spot. In 2014, a DDoS attack on Boston Children's Hospital meant staff couldn't use medical devices, putting patients' lives in danger and causing damages totaling an estimated US $600,000. 5G also presents some protocol weaknesses, for example in the authentication and key agreement (AKA) – the method of encrypting communication between devices and cellular networks, which has been previously utilized in 3G and 4G networks and is known to be vulnerable to international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) catchers, interception of traffic and sensitive information. With both of these threats on the horizon, regular security practices such as supply chain security, access control, patch management, threat hunting and configuration management should be carried out to secure against 5G threats. But there's more to do to keep our cities and societies safe. How do we ensure 5G safety? There are many solutions to protecting smart cities in the age of 5G, from full audits to anomaly detection. One I'd like to highlight is hybrid authentication. In 2G to 4G, network authentication – a security process when a computer on a network tries to connect to a server – has previously been a straightforward process between service and network providers, and the user's device. Network authentication liberates the user from having to authenticate for every service they need access to; a single network authentication is sufficient. When it comes to an entire network of connected devices, authentication must be as safe and secure as possible. One security recommendation for this relies on network-based authentication. 5G network security will require flexibility for organizations to manage multiple unknown devices with various levels of security, moving away from previous authentication models. A new, unified hybrid framework is needed to coordinate different security methods for each security layer. If devices can't be authenticated, are misbehaving or not adequately set, we need processes in place to isolate them. Ultimately, 5G is a technology advancement that will help us combat many of the world's problems. But we have to make sure we're wholly certain about the threats that it could bring and help governing bodies and our civic leaders prepare so safer smart cities can benefit our lives.
5G opportunities

The rise of 5G: Tech’s time to shine

  • min read
    • A need for speed: how 5G will transform business forever We've seen 1G, 2G, 3G and more recently, 4G… Now things are about to kick into overdrive, as 5G powers up for worldwide uptake, bringing with it the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but what impact will it have on business? 5G. Sounds classy, right? It also, more importantly, boasts a strength that we as humans haven't seen since Arnie in The Terminator movies. From download speeds as high as 20 gigabits-per-second (that's 60 episodes of The Wire in just over four minutes), to finally bringing coverage to rural areas, developing nations and less-connected communities – 5G is, on paper, the hero technology we've been waiting for. What is 5G? 5G is fifth-generation mobile network technology enabling exceptional latency speed (the time taken for devices to respond to each other over the wireless network). In essence, it's a constantly evolving network of connections for more than mobile phones, or to the less technical among us, the life-force of the internet of things (IoT). This is very important, because as our technology advances – think precision medicines, autonomous cars, augmented reality – it relies on being connected to different devices which, up until now, wasn't possible (damn you 4G!). Finally, 5G is powerful enough to drive the next generation of tech that will power consumer and industrial-grade technologies. How will 5G benefit business? Qualcomm have estimated that by 2035, 5G could underpin $12.3 trillion worth of goods and services across different industries in the United States alone. And there are many benefits for businesses: Increased network speeds It's quick. It's reaaaaal quick. Speed, minimal latency and enhanced data handling means people and systems in different organizations and offices can communicate in a flash. Cue near-seamless integration between different communications tools and business software. Greater network capacity 5G will be able to cope with more applications running concurrently – from connected cars and IoT devices to virtual reality experiences and simultaneous HD video streaming. It's essentially going to facilitate most next-generation technology, which will make mass uptake of new services easier than in the age of 4G. Greater coverage In short, 5G will close the mobile coverage gap, opening up opportunities for businesses in traditionally hard-to-reach areas. In Africa, for example, 3G networks cover only 50 percent of the population. Without appropriate coverage, many rural businesses can't access the infrastructure they need to grow, and even today's standard services experienced in many countries like streaming video are out of reach. 5G will sort that right out, enabling better connections between rural and urban areas, right across the globe. Which industries are most likely to see those benefits? Every. Single. One of them. But here are a few that are in for a real shake up: Healthcare: watch out for wearables Hospitals, surgeries and drop-in centers across the globe are usually overrun with sick patients looking for help. 5G has the power to change that. It will give the able-bodied and the housebound faster access to services – think online portals and different digital devices – reducing pressure on health infrastructure. One of the biggest advancements 5G will facilitate for this industry is wearable tech. From MedMinder's automated pill dispensers to SpiroSmart's ability to turn mobile phones into respiratory meters, 5G will mean a proliferation in disruptive healthcare devices designed to monitor our health and even use artificial intelligence and tele-presence consultations to diagnose us. It will also completely change the way we look at smart homes. Weihua Sheng, associate professor at Oklahoma State University and director of the Advanced Sensing, Computation and Control Lab, has been working on bringing health sensors into our homes. Sheng's team is developing a cloud-based smart home platform for healthcare monitoring that includes environmental sensors, wearables and a robot assistant. For example, using different sensors, the system can detect whether the user is dehydrated. The robot assistant can then prompt them to drink more water. The platform can also determine whether a person has fallen and call for help. Agriculture: big data means big business Smart farming. It denotes the use of IoT applications in agriculture – from big data to crop sensors – which are going to be facilitated by the 5G network. Allmeteo is a shining example of how important data will be for the future of farming; it's a weather station that uses sensors to gather information from across farms, giving farmers analytics from which to choose the appropriate crops, and take the required measures to improve their capacity. But there are more innovations to come. Many more. One in particular is GreenIQ. In short: it's an automated irrigation and fertilizer system that uses sensors to dictate when farmers water their crops, and by how much. From water management to optimum fertilizer dispensers, 5G will give farms the ability to monitor, track and improve their systems in a way they've never known before. Transport: greasing the gears of change Three words: Self. Driving. Vehicles. Now that's a shake-up. Uber? Car insurance? McDonalds drive thru? Much to think about, and potentially lots of transport businesses who may take a hit. A study in the US shows that self-driving vehicles will potentially reduce the need for parking space by over 5.7 billion square meters. That could free up vital resourcing for housing, or even urban farms to meet our increased food needs. But it's not just driverless cars that 5G will impact, it's going to make traffic lights more intelligent – reducing the time waiting in traffic – and boost public transport connectivity. Yes, the hideously slow train Wi-Fi you sometimes use for work, it's on the up. In Japan in 2018, Samsung completed a 5G demonstration on a moving train in partnership with Japanese telecommunications carrier KDDI. We're talking peak speeds of 1.7 Gbps. Just the right pace for working on the world's fastest bullet trains. But what are the security risks? There are tremendous benefits to 5G, but it has the power to take many businesses out of their comfort zones. As with all new technologies, there are risks. 5G is the first generation of mobile network designed for machine-to-machine (M2M). But it poses major security challenges for privacy, with personal data collected relating to our health, driving habits and more. Connected devices will capture more and more data, which could be a rich bounty for malicious actors. And as 5G needs more mobile sites, it may mean it's easier to geo-locate users, which presents additional risks. There are a couple of things you can do to get ahead of the curve. Firstly, you may want to move sensitive documents onto the cloud, as 5G will rely heavily on virtual infrastructures. But regardless of where you store your data, it's paramount to make sure it's well secured. Secondly, you might want to instate a '5G guardian'. It's someone who really knows their tech, an internal expert and champion for integrating the technology into business as usual. From how it affects your services, to finding ways in which it can improve your day-to-day. They may want a pay rise, though.
by Innovating leaders.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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