Late last year, WatchGuard issued a list of predictions about the top security threats and trends that would arise in 2020. One of those key predictions focused on the potential for attackers to find new vulnerabilities in the 5G/Wi-Fi handover that would allow them to access the audio and/or data from 5G mobile phones. As this new cellular technology standard rolls out across the world and offers exciting new performance and efficiency benefits, the industry must pay close attention to 5G security.
Ryan Orsi, director of product management at WatchGuard, recently published a guest column in 5G Technology World, which delves into how the 5G-to-Wi-Fi handover works, what cellular engineers working in this space need to know about Wi-Fi security risks in general, and what they can do to secure the cellular-to-Wi-Fi handoff attack surface. Here’s a brief excerpt:
“A more global approach to securing the cellular to Wi-Fi handover attack surface involves the power that engineers have to help advocate for new security standards within the industry. Engineers can show their support for such an idea by signing the Trusted Wireless Environment petition here, to support an initiative aimed at building more visibility and awareness about this security issue among various standards organizations. By consciously making cellular to Wi-Fi handover security a focus among engineering teams, conferences, social networking technical groups, the wireless world can become safer for everyone.”
Head over to 5G Technology World to read the full article, and for more on the top security threats and trends to watch out for this year, check out the WatchGuard Threat Lab’s complete list of 2020 Security Predictions here.