A new infographic[pdf] by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) outlines various security risks related to 5G wireless networks. CISA warns that even though 5G will come with certain security improvements compared to 4G and older networks, attention must be paid to “supply chain, deployment, network security, and competition and choice vulnerabilities” that could impact the overall security of these networks.
The security of the supply chain is an area of special concern, since “the 5G supply chain is susceptible to the malicious or inadvertent introduction of vulnerabilities such as malicious software or hardware.” This risk, which stems from untrusted entities that may provide hardware, software, and services for 5G networks, can undermine the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
