5G NETWORKS DECENDING ON YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SOON

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5G Networks Decending on Your Neighborhood Soon
mikeechols.com/5g-networks-decending-on-your-neigh
borhood-soon By Michael Echols
Introducing 5G- Friend or Foe The introduction of
fifth generation networking (5G) will propel us
lightyears into the future. This development in
technology has the potential to expand bandwidths
thatll allow up to 50 billion smart devices,
which means that virtually everything will be
digitally connected. However, like with any
groundbreaking technological advances, there
comes a list of unimaginable threats and
consequences. As the speed of connectivity vastly
increases with 5G, the amount of data gathered
from sensors and devices located in our homes,
cities, and transportation hubs will grow at
unprecedented rates. With smart devices present
in both our work and personal lives, there is no
doubt that we will experience a new level of
convenience, efficiency, and entertainment but
at what cost to our digital and physical
safety? Technology Is Our Friend As a society,
we have grown to rely on technology for just
about everything. The trust we place in our
devices stems from their mounting capabilities,
which have even allowed us to engineer
self-parking cars. With 5G coming into play,
were about to get a little, or a lot, more
spoiled. Enhanced information sharing, home
automation, and individualized healthcare are
only a few examples of what 5G can bring to the
forefront. Interconnected smart devices will
have the ability to work together to enhance our
personal well-being, as well as the overall
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functionality of communities. That means well
start seeing new opportunity for safer, cleaner,
and wealthier neighborhoods. Yet, with all the
benefits that 5G has to offer, we should be very
wary of the security risks associated with these
advancements. Security always come comes
second. Trust but Verify (Foe) 5G accelerates
the Internet of Things (IoT). However, as Vint
Cerf reminds us the Internet was not meant to be
secure. Thus, anything connecting to it faces
certain vulnerabilities. For every advancement
society makes with new capabilities, the same
opportunity is afforded to the bad guy. We also
should worry about the security and privacy of
all things connected to the IoT, which
means.just about everything. Just as 5G can
simplify and enhance our lives, 5G has the
potential to undermine our democracy, personal
safety, and private information. Its like a
futuristic movie gone wrong where devices that
people once trusted turn against them.
Eventually, the devices and systems think for
themselves. (think). Now, this might never
happen but even coming close is a departure from
our democratic and legal goals. Let us take cars
as an example. 5G networks could allow smart
sensors in vehicles to communicate with one
another avoiding car accidents. This technology
could improve traffic routes and enhance fuel
economy. At the same time, those same networks
could be accessed by nefarious actors who would
use the smart sensors to purposefully cause life-
threatening collisions. In the case of
healthcare, the speed and capacity from 5G will
create life-saving opportunities for service
providers. New smart health monitors might detect
medical conditions, aid doctors in improving
prescriptions, and alert paramedics in case of
emergencies. In theory, this is everything we
could ever hope for as it would spur even more
innovation. But, if found in the wrong hands, 5G
health monitors have the power to do the exact
opposite. It would empower the speed and attack
power of those attempting to disrupt systems. It
would also expand the opportunity to be more
disruptive where death could be the end
result. Securing our Connections So, even with
all the excitement surrounding 5G, there is
plenty of hesitation. To actually make it a
reality there has to be mass deployment by
service providers and the costs are great. The
technical challenges however will dwarf the
access to capital. The fear is that security
will be minimized as service providers seek to
get radios and systems in service as fast as
possible. For instance, new cloud/virtualization
technologies such as software-defined networking
(SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV)
have their own security issue. As platforms that
will be used to support 5G networks, we could be
layering vulnerability on vulnerability. Security
begins with securing the transmitting and
receiving devices. The code needs to be assessed
and systems pen tested as hackers will surely
find new access points to use the network for
their bidding. Advanced technological
capabilities demand advanced security
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from lab to street. Hardware, applications, and
back-end infrastructure must all be taken into
consideration when thinking of our next steps.
The one solace that we can take is deploying
companies win when the system is stable and
delivers value. The business truth however is
that as soon as systems can generate revenue they
will be deployed. This is with security
accounted for or not.