The guidance is the result of a 5G Cloud Working Panel established by the Enduring Security Framework. The panel engages with experts across government and industry to document 5G cloud security challenges, threats, and potential mitigations, including guidance, standards, and analytics. The collaboration resulted in a four-part series of publications that addresses a three-pronged approach, applying a threat-based approach to identify and mitigate risks in 5G networks that derive from cloud technologies and providing mitigations that can be applied to harden 5G cloud infrastructures.
5G networks, which are cloud-native, are a lucrative target for threat actors who wish to deny or degrade network resources or compromise information, says the guidance. To counter this threat, 5G cloud infrastructures must be built and configured with security in mind, with capabilities in place that detect and respond to threats, providing a hardened environment for deploying secure network functions.
Although all 5G network stakeholders can benefit from this guidance, the recommendations are intended for service providers and system integrators that build and configure 5G cloud infrastructures, including core network equipment vendors, cloud service providers, integrators, and mobile network operations. The audience for each set of recommendations is identified throughout the series, providing a layered approach to building hardened 5G cloud deployments.