Former rubber boot maker Nokia and research analysts at GlobalData warned that communication service providers (CSPs) worldwide want stronger 5G network security capabilities.
GlobalData, commissioned by Nokia, found that 56 percent of CSPs said they need to substantially improve their cyber capabilities against telecom-specific attacks, while 68 percent said they need to sharpen their defences against ransomware threats.
Surveyed CSPs said they believe 5G Standalone (SA) deployments could increase security vulnerabilities as they disaggregate and open their networks and as industrial enterprises increasingly connect more of their mission-critical assets to their networks.
About three-quarters of the CSPs said their networks had experienced up to six security breaches in the past year, resulting in regulatory liability, fraud and monetary theft, and network services being knocked offline.
CSPs said their security staff spent too much time on manual security tasks that should be automated and expressed little confidence in their current software security tools. They see the tools as fragmented and too slow to rapidly prevent and stop threats before they materialise.
Almost half of the CSPs surveyed wanted to enhance their security requirements by enlisting managed security services to take advantage of the expertise and resources such services can provide.
GlobalData Principal Analyst Andy Hicks said: “Our survey shows that CSP security staff are doing as much as they can with the people and tools they have. But as CSP services multiply, vulnerabilities will also increase unless they can automate more of their security processes.”
Nokia’s Head of Managed Security Services, Cloud and Cognitive Services, Vishal Sahay said: “The substantial changes taking place in the 5G ecosystem are bringing new dimensions to the telecom threat landscape and opportunities for malicious actors to take advantage of network security vulnerabilities. And the findings we’ve announced today reinforce the critical need for CSPs and enterprises to step up their cyber protection practices and to rethink the tools and processes they are using to transform and strengthen their security capabilities.”
