To what extent will the introduction of next-generation mobile technology, i.e., 5G technology, affect cybersecurity issues?

Abstract

The emergence of 5G technology has gained great attention. Due to its novelty, many researchers are interested in its impacts on other technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), machine learning, and IoT (Internet of Things). But its novelty also poses reservations among researchers. The already prevailing telecommunication technologies 3G, 4G, and LTE have given rise to many cybersecurity threats. That is why researchers are curious about finding the potential cybersecurity threats posed by the 5G technology. This research is a step towards finding out the cybersecurity threats posed by the 5G technology. It presents a holistic picture of 5G technology and the cybersecurity threats posed by it.

Introduction

The emergence of 5G technology has gained great attention. Due to its novelty, many researchers are interested in its impacts on technologies such as AI (Artificial Intelligence), machine learning, and IoT (Internet of Things). But its novelty also poses reservations among researchers. The already prevailing telecommunication technologies 3G, 4G, and LTE have given rise to many cybersecurity threats. That is why researchers are curious about finding the potential cybersecurity threats posed by the 5G technology, improving computing technology, and advancement in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning. The telecommunications technology must match its speed. That is why the introduction of 5G is the need of the hour (Dahiya 2017). According to (Everett 2020), 5G is more than a telecommunication technology. It will improve automation, cloud computing, e-commerce, the energy sector, and healthcare. It will be a game-changer for most industries.

For  (TĂBUȘCĂ & TĂBUȘCĂ 2019), the future of telecommunication, the automotive industry, and the medicine industry revolves around the upgraded 5G technology. This term is a buzzword now. And there are lots of discussions about its advantages and disadvantages. For (Eastman, 2020), 5G technology will end the wired technology. The world will enter a new era of wireless technology. Already with 4G LTE, the wireless technology is working nicely, such as cloud computation. But with the speed of 5G technology, wireless technology will completely take over the world. The technologies such as cloud computing, AI, machine learning, and IoT will work at their peak.

5G will revolutionize the transportation industry by enabling the functioning of fully automatic vehicles. And it will improve healthcare by enabling automated diagnosis and surgeries (Banerjee, 2020). According to (Amjad 2020), 5G will be a game-changer in the auto industry, healthcare, communication, and IoT (Internet of Things). All these studies show that 5G will bring a remarkable change in how we do lots of things. And it will, without any doubt, open new avenues for research and development.

As 5G technology has a plethora of advantages, it also has downsides. For (CLIM 2019), the world is heading towards the 5th industrial revolution. That will bring advanced mechanization, automotive mass production, AI, IoT, and cyber-physical systems. All these innovations though very helpful for humanity, but these technologies can be the easy targets of hackers. That shows 5G. However, it will influence our lives positively. But it will bring cybersecurity risks. According to (Sharma & Sharma 2019), 5G, with its advantages, will bring numerous cybersecurity risks. Due to this, businesses will have to invest heavily in cybersecurity to utilize 5G fully. According to (Kim 2020), the evolution of technology from 4G to 5G brings new cybersecurity challenges. Because of the novelty of this technology. The already working cybersecurity technology is not enough to protect against new threats posed by 5G technology. According to (Ahmad et al., 2019), 5G technology is on the verge of affecting every aspect of our lives. But due to its novelty, it will be hard to find out the solutions to the cybersecurity threats that will come with it.

According to (Iorga 2019), there are two opinions about the cybersecurity threats posed by 5G technology. The first group thinks that 5G will pose no cybersecurity threats. Because it is the safest communication technology ever developed, there will only be technical risks that will be easily managed by the experts. The second group thinks that this novice 5G technology will cause a series of threats, and it will be difficult to curtail these threats. Because of the Chinese monopoly on the 5G technology. (Kushwaha, 2019) found in his research that 5G brings lots of cybersecurity threats because of the use of big data. Due to the extent of data that 5G uses, it requires lots of cyber protection. According to (Kaska et al., 2019), the higher usage of 5G brings a new stream of cybersecurity threats. According to (Lesniewska & Carr 2020), it can cause a threat for businesses in a country. And it can also generate cross-border security threats. Recently, the US accused China of spying through 5G technology. That shows that 5G technology can cause both national and international cybersecurity threats if not carefully handled. So, after acquiring 5G, there is a dire need for improved cyber protection with much novelty in this area. There is a lot to be done. The intriguing nature of this topic caught my attention. In this research, I will present a holistic picture of how 5G can affect the already complicated cybersecurity issues. This research will open a new gateway towards this area of study. It will present a comprehensive understanding of this topic. And will guide future research.

Research Aims

This research has the following aims:

• To find out the cybersecurity threats posed by 5G technology.
• To find out possible national and cross counties cyber threats.
• To find out the extent to which 5G can increase the cybersecurity risks.
• To find out possible ways through which these threats can be minimized.

Research Objectives

The research has the following objectives:

• To analyze the impacts of 5G technology on cybersecurity issues.
• To find out the degree of the threats posed by 5G technology.
• To individually evaluate the cybersecurity threats posed by 5G technology and find solutions to these threats.
• To formulate policy recommendations for governments and businesses to tackle these threats.
• To provide a pathway to future work in this area.

Research Questions

This research will answer the following question:

• How is 5G technology different from already running technologies?
• Is 5G technology secure?
• How can 5G technology affect cybersecurity issues?
• What are the possible threats that occurred due to the emergence of 5G technology?
• Are threats that occurred due to the 5G are different from the threats posed by previous technologies?
• What are the reasons behind the emergence of these threats?
• How can these threats be minimized while taking full advantage of 5G technology?
• How can governments across the world form appropriate cyber protection laws for this novice 5G technology?

Literature Review

History and Importance of 5G

According to (Mir & Kumar 2015), this telecommunication revolution came in the 1970s. Then after the success of 1G and 2G. In 2001 3G came onto the scene and got a huge success. Till 2007 3G generated $120 billion of revenue across the globe. After the success of 3G in 2008, 4G came onto the scene. That was another success. The internet speed went up to 100Mbps. And in 2019, the talks about 5G technology started, and in 2020, it finally came onto the scenes. The US government even accused the Chinese government of spying through 5G technology (Kaska et al., 2019). That shows how 5G emerged and became controversial. According to (Peters & Besley, 2019), the transformation of 4G to 5G will be a phenomenal one. 5G can go up to 300 megabits per second. This speed is necessary to match with the technologies such as AI, machine learning, and robotics.

According to (Saravia 2020), the evolution of wireless technology from 1G to 5G took the world of telecommunication to the next level. Starting from the 1980s, 1G technology-enabled world to communicate without wires. But it had many shortcomings, such as call drooping and losing cellular signal. Then, in the 1990s, 2G or GSM took over the world. With improved speed and better signal quality, it became popular. Then in 2000, 3G emerged. That took computation to the next level. People started to use it for video streaming, internet browsing, and many other useful applications. Then in 2010, 4G or LTE took over the entire world. A whole range of tasks is done on this technology. Highspeed computation, cloud computation, IoT, Machine learning, and other modern-day computational works are done on 4G. And in 2020, when 5G emerged, it took computation to the next level.

Cybersecurity is characterized today as one of the five most huge dangers of today’s world. On the one hand, the improvement and advancement of technological advances give a chance to quicken the business climate’s progress, fortify correspondence, and associate with the customer. And permits to the more precisely change of the made item’s properties to their prerequisites, just as permits tracking all the more rapidly present developments, gives various other significant focal points. At the public level, digitalization assists with quickening the exhibition of State bodies ‘capacities in the administration and guideline of monetary and social cycles, encourages residents’ admittance to public administrations, and upgrades their investment in dynamic and impact on the neighbourhood and territorial turn of events. Simultaneously, encouraging admittance to individual data, the computerized idea of its transmission, what’s more, preparing the shadow fragment of the utilization of trendsetting innovations prompts an expanded danger of additional utilization of advanced items and administrations, particularly in states of monetary what’s more, political precariousness of worldwide scale.

5G will revolutionize the transportation industry by enabling the functioning of fully automatic vehicles. And it will improve healthcare by enabling automated diagnosis and surgeries (Banerjee, 2020). According to (Amjad 2020), 5G will be a game-changer in the auto industry, healthcare, communication, and IoT. It will improve automation, cloud computing, e-commerce, the energy sector, and healthcare. It will be a game-changer for most industries. For (TĂBUȘCĂ & TĂBUȘCĂ 2019), the future of telecommunication, the automotive industry, and the medicine industry revolves around the upgraded 5G technology.

According to (Zikria et al., 2018), the world is heading towards the fourth industrial revolution or the information technology revolution. The twenty-first century has seen many technological advancements such as Automated machines, nanotechnology, AI, machine learning, IoT, and cloud computing. To support all these advancements telecommunication sector must level up. That is why in 2017, China started working on the 5G. And in 2020, Chinese companies came up with this technology. For (Banerjee 2020), the world is heading towards the 5th technological revolution. That will bring advanced mechanization, automotive mass production, AI, IoT, and cyber-physical systems. All these innovations though very helpful for humanity, but these technologies can be the easy targets of hackers. That shows 5G. However, it will influence our lives positively. But it will bring cybersecurity risks.

For (Eastman, 2020), 5G technology will end the wired technology. The world will enter a new era of wireless technology. Already with 4G LTE, the wireless technology is working nicely, such as cloud computation. But with the speed of 5G technology, wireless technology will completely take over the world. The technologies such as cloud computing, AI, machine learning, and IoT will work at their peak.

Notwithstanding, as the 5G future comes to execution, you can see the innovation is considerably more than merely empowering quicker links for cell phones. 5G can typically change web broadband help, yet it will likewise empower new applications and use cases, from associated savvy gadgets in the IoT to self-governing vehicles, brilliant urban areas, and related production lines; the rundown goes on. “Disruptive,” on account of 5G, is putting it mildly. And according to (Eastman 2020), 5G technology is on the verge of changing every aspect of our lives. But due to its originality, it will be tough to find out the solutions to the cybersecurity threats that will come with it.

For (Altavilla 2019), when 5G will completely implement across the globe. It will not only change the way we use mobile phones. But it will change the way we live. After 5G’s implementation, the smart cities can be operational. There will be a hallmark of improvement in the medical field. 5G will affect our lives in every aspect. As 5G technology has several advantages, it also has disadvantaged. According to (Sharma & Sharma 2019), 5G, with its advantages, will bring numerous cybersecurity risks. Due to this, businesses will have to invest heavily in cybersecurity to utilize 5G fully. According to (Kim 2020), the evolution of technology from 4G to 5G brings new cybersecurity challenges. Because of the novelty of this technology. The already working cybersecurity technology is not enough to protect against new threats posed by 5G technology.

(Kushwaha, 2019) found in his research that 5G technology brings lots of cybersecurity threats because of its prominent data usage. Due to the extent of data that 5G uses, it requires lots of cyber protection. According to (Kaska et al., 2019), the higher usage of 5G brings a new stream of cybersecurity threats. According to (Lesniewska & Carr 2020), the 5G can cause a threat for businesses in a country. And it can also generate cross-border security threats. Recently, the US accused China of spying through 5G technology. That shows that 5G technology can cause both national and international cybersecurity threats if not carefully handled. So, after acquiring 5G, there is a dire need for improved cyber protection.

Pre-5G Cyber Security Issues

Although 4G is very popular around the world. Most of the world has now shifted to 4G and uses it for various purposes. But this widely used telecommunication network has many cybersecurity issues. According to (Mohapatra et al., 2015), 4G technology design is a blend of numerous heterogeneous networks, for example, WiMAX and 3G. Among the different access organizations, anybody can utilize the administration endorser, and it offers types of assistance from a similar help unit like the IP Multimedia subsystems. The 4G may confront a parcel of credible Security Risks. The different heterogeneous advancements access the framework, so potential security is expected to make sure about advances. Additionally, it might fall off the whole network framework when numerous specialist co-ops share the centre network foundation. In 4G remote, end-client supplies can likewise turn into a wellspring of vicious assaults, worms, infections, calls,  spam-sending, etc. The spam over the web. The new spam for VoIP results in a problematic issue like the present E-mail spam. Like the above VoIP dangers, three more VoIP Threats are (1) satirizing that misleads correspondences, adjusts information, or moves money from a taken charge card number. (2) Standard information point enrollment commandeering that substitutes the IP address of the bundle header with the aggressor’s own. (3) Dropping of private discussion that captures and CRYPT emerges IP bundles. According to (Macaulay 2013), 4G LTE has the following cyber threats, Wireless APN flooding, device to device attack, femtocell, device-to-device fragility, lawful intercept acquiescence, VOLTE service assurance, and risks in content and media delivery. All these problems have some unfavourable effects on the security of 4G LTE. Probably the grave issue that associated autos will look at in the coming years is vehicle online protection. As automobiles become more associated and computerized, it will end up being an obvious objective for hackers. New auto vehicles have sensors introduced surrounding them. They can detect environmental factors, and they were established to forestall any mishaps. For instance, radar sensors permit autos to be set in voyage control, which keeps up the vehicle at a protected separation from other vehicles. Likewise, the vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) sensors shaft out fundamental information about their area to different vehicles out and about, assisting them with forestalling mishaps. The most significant improvement that innovation brought to vehicles is the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). ADAS frameworks incorporate electronic and programming parts focused on helping with, upgrading, what’s more, at last, supplanting the human driver’s elements (Poblete & Yoon, 2018). And according to (Gransart 2018), despite advancements in 4G technology, it has risks of physical damage, loss of essential services, risk of information stealing, and technical failures.

5G Technology and Cyber Security Issues

As we have in the previous section, despite the usage of 4G technology everywhere, It still poses cybersecurity risks such as risks of stolen information, risk of technical failures, and risk of being hacked. That indicates that with the novice 5G technology, the risk of cybersecurity threats will be much more than the already successfully running 4G. But according to (Saravia 2020), between 2010 and 2019, the cybersecurity threats to 4G systems were reduced by a significant number. That shows with time, cybersecurity increased. So, we can expect 5G will be implemented all around the world. Cybersecurity experts will solve the issues that will arise with time.

According to (Iorga 2019), there are two opinions about the cybersecurity threats posed by 5G technology. The first group thinks that 5G will pose no cybersecurity threats. Because it is the safest communication technology ever developed, there will only be technical risks that will be easily managed by the experts. The second group thinks that this novice 5G technology will cause a series of threats, and it will be difficult to curtail these threats. Because of the Chinese monopoly on the 5G technology. 5G technology has a significant number of advantages; it also has disadvantaged.

According to (Sharma & Sharma 2019), 5G will bring numerous cybersecurity risks with its advantages. Due to this, businesses will have to invest heavily in cybersecurity to utilize 5G fully. According to (Kim 2020), the evolution of technology from 4G to 5G brings new cybersecurity challenges. Because of the novelty of the 5G technology. The currently working cybersecurity technology is not enough to protect against new threats posed by it. (Kaska et al., 2019) found that 5G technology brings lots of cybersecurity threats because of its usage of big data. Due to the extent of data that 5G uses, it requires lots of cyber protection. According to (Kaska et al., 2019), the higher usage of 5G brings a new stream of cybersecurity threats.

According to (Ahmad et al., 2019), 5G technology is on the verge of affecting every aspect of our lives. But due to its novelty, it will be hard to find out the solutions to the cybersecurity threats that will come with it. For (CLIM 2019), the world is heading towards the 5th industrial revolution. That will bring advanced mechanization, automotive mass production, AI, IoT, and cyber-physical systems. All these innovations though very helpful for humanity, but these technologies can be the easy targets of hackers. That shows 5G. However, it will influence our lives positively. But it will bring cybersecurity risks.

According to (Lesniewska & Carr 2020), the 5G can cause a threat for businesses in a country. And it can also generate cross-border security threats. Recently, the US accused China of spying through 5G technology. That shows that 5G technology can cause both national and international cybersecurity threats if not carefully handled. So, after acquiring, 5G there is a dire need for improved cyber protection.

Research Methodology

This research will use both primary and secondary methods of data collection. 5G technology is getting popular. Many people researchers across different disciplines are researching this area. So, prior work in this area can be a good source of data. Furthermore, questionnaires can help get data about the impacts of 5G technology on cybersecurity issues. Cross-country surveys can play a significant role in this regard.

Research Limitations

5G technology is still very new. At the moment, only China is implementing it. And researchers have recently started taking an interest in this area. And it is onerous to find accurate data. As we know, it is hard to believe the data provided by China. So, with the time when 5G will implement all around the world. And people will test it comprehensively, and there will be other sources of data other than China. Then it will be possible to do more comprehensive research on this topic. At present, this research will try to explore as much as it can.   

Conclusion

The prevailing telecommunication technologies, 3G, 4G, and LTE, have several cybersecurity issues. Many researchers have reported several problems with these technologies. Such as stealing of information, risks of technical failures, and risks of hacking. But with time, researchers have seen declines in these threats. Due to that, some questions arise. Whether 5G will bring the same cybersecurity threats? Or will it pose new cybersecurity threats? As 5G is a relatively new technology. So, it is onerous to ignore the fact that it may also bring a new stream of cybersecurity issues. This research will answer all these questions and many more. It will holistically analyze the impacts of 5G on cybersecurity. It will also help form a new set of policies that will help governments and businesses solve issues. And it will also provide a path to future work in this area.

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