All 4G networks are susceptible to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks - and new 5G networks are also at risk.
This is according to a new report from Positive Technologies, which analysed the Diameter signalling protocol used to authenticate and authorise data distribution in 4G networks.
Researchers mimicked the behaviour of hackers and found their attempts to infiltrate mobile networks were “100 per cent successful”.
According to Positive Technologies, 5G users are also vulnerable because “the first generation of 5G networks (5G Non-Standalone) is based on the LTE network core, which means that 5G is vulnerable to the same flaws.”
The report also states that successful DoS attacks rose three per cent year-on-year, posing a direct threat to IoT devices.
“A lot of the major mobile operators are already starting to roll out their 5G networks and so the industry needs to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past by having security front and centre of any network design,” said Dmitry Kurbatov, CTO at Positive Technologies.
“If left unchecked, their 5G networks will not be immune from the same vulnerabilities of previous generation networks. Implementing security as an afterthought means further down the line, issues will inevitably arise, and operators will be forced to retrofit security putting strain on their original budget. Trying to fix mistakes on an ad-hoc basis, often results in new solutions being poorly integrated into existing network architecture.”