Everything You Need to Know About 5G Business Security

5G is finally here! It comes bearing phenomenal potential for business but also new 5G security risks. Find out 5G business security risks & how to manage them.

5G has finally arrived in the US. Very soon, an old 4G cellular network will seem as outdated as the phonograph, With 5G data moves at speeds you never before thought possible.

But the 5G launch is a soft one.

As if we can't handle the speed it offers all at once; providers will slowly ramp it up over the next two years to its unbridled potential.

Now's the time to explore both 5G benefits and 5G security risks for business before you unleash the full power of 5G on your business.

Tristan Stewart from Integrated365 in Dallas, TX shares what you need to know.

The latest generation of the cellular network doesn't just increase speed. It has an enhanced infrastructure that will simply put, make it work better, along with every device you put on that network.

Older generations have to deal with buffering, load time, too many users slowing the network and the like. Compared to that, 5G is like a city completely overhauling its roadways so that traffic jams, traffic accidents and any other possible commuting annoyance you might encounter becomes a thing of the past.

Let's look at some specifics:

• Full data encryption and ultimate data integrity
• Supports up to one million devices per square kilometer. No more unreliable speeds when you're in a stadium or have too many devices on your business network.
• 5G will operate at increased capacity on 4G infrastructure while that hardware is upgraded. That's part of the reason it will take two years to go entirely 5G.
• 5G uses shorter, denser millimeter waves that can carry astounding amounts of data for short distances, which will undoubtedly change how the 5G infrastructure manages those waves.

Full encryption is definitely an important step. We may soon no longer have to be as concerned about using free wi-fi or unsecured networks where data may be intercepted.

However, business security is still a mutual responsibility. Hackers could take advantage of failed authentication on the carrier's side as well as that of the data senders and receivers.

AT&T (News - Alert)'s annual Cybersecurity Report highlights three primary 5G security risks that businesses and individuals will need to manage, such as:

1. Bigger network - 5G must achieve more than any system in the past had to handle. The bigger something becomes, the harder it is to monitor and manage effectively. This may give those who seek to exploit 5G weaknesses a way in.
2. More IoT - Internet of Things (IoT) isn't going away and many IoT devices are still vulnerable. If something doesn't change, 5G will help hackers compromise devices faster. If that's your parent's pacemaker on a 5G network, that really matters.
3. Authentication overload - 5G will need to authenticate billions of devices in a small area. Once again, we have to think beyond phones and tablets. The average household now has eight or more IoT devices. Alexa, Google (News - Alert) Nest, Fitbit, Amazon Dash, Ring doorbell camera, smartTVs, smart locks, smart lights, just to name a few.

Additionally, 5G is software, so like all software, it could be vulnerable to malware.

And 5G is so big that mobile carriers won't be able to manage it themselves. They'll have to expand their supplier network. This means more hands in the pot and more significant opportunities for a rogue employee or contractor to compromise security intentionally or through negligence.

As business leaders, we'll need to adopt a business security model in which we screen anything before placing it on the network. Today, that includes any device, including IoT, as well as third-party applications. In the future, it could expand to other things we can't currently imagine.

Additionally, we'll need to recognize the limitations of humans. With something as expansive and intricate as 5G, we need to invest in machine learning and advanced monitoring to gather the intelligence we need to identify and respond to threats at 5G speed.

There's still a lot we don't know about 5G as a cybersecurity community, so it's vital that you stay informed and up-to-date.