How 5G will change your LAN security

The Local Area Network (LAN) as we know it today started out simple, with just a switch to connect a single computer to the network, but inevitably became more complex with the addition of routers and the occasional firewall, as well as access points and controllers to make Wi-Fi connectivity possible.

We’re about to enter the next phase of complexity with the arrival of 5G. While 5G is being marketed to consumers who may be excited about their phones working at new high speeds, many of 5G’s capabilities promise to bring major technological advances to enterprise networks.

For most networks, public communications over Ethernet have been the standard for almost as long as networking has existed. Some may remember things like Token Ring, but even savvy home users have heard of the term MAC address, a core principle of how Ethernet works. Networks, both wired and wireless, have operated this way for the better part of three decades. But not for much longer.

5G networks will connect the same types of devices we have today, as well as the new world of IoT and IOT. Many of these new devices are designed natively for 5G and incorporate standard features that control application performance and ensure reliability. The main difference between 5G networks and previous generations is that organizations will be able to build and deploy their own 5G networks, effectively replacing existing LANs with wireless options that carry promises that Wi-Fi cannot provide.

Ultimately, 5G will exist in many consumer forms and ways, but the most impactful seems to be how it will benefit organizations that need high-performance, low-latency networks without the need to resort to wires to get there. For some time, Wi-Fi has been the only solution to this problem, and while it does deliver on the cable-free promise, it has failed to meet the performance and low-latency requirements that many organizations are looking for due to its reliance on radio waves.

Solving RF Challenges

One specific challenge with Wi-Fi for organizations is the licensed radio frequencies that are currently in the public domain for consumer and business use. As with all radio, the higher the frequency, the lower the overall performance (you can see this in real time if you give five kindergarten kids walkie-talkies and see how well they can communicate with each other). Wi-Fi introduced queues and other methods to hide the wait or interference, but the bottom line is that the billions of devices we have on the network today create a crowded radio space, and therefore poor performance.

5G will address this challenge by creating private radio spaces for organizations to use without interference. This is a potential game changer for organizations in industries such as agriculture, manufacturing and energy, as well as state and local organizations that cannot connect critical systems via cables but still need reliable and high-performance connectivity. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has begun auctioning frequency licenses to organizations.

Mobile access edge computing (MEC) is part of what makes this transformation possible, enabling organizations to effectively create their own private networks that can scale in the same way we see with public cellular networks. Today, many of these organizations may take advantage of some enhanced services from their existing network providers, and going the 5G route would be a natural progression to gain functionality, reliability, and security.

This is just one of many forms that a 5G network can take. The flexibility of the 5G model provides an organization with many options, depending on how much of the infrastructure it wants to roll out itself, rather than wanting to rely on public providers. A public or private organization can also take advantage of more elastic network interfaces to meet growing customer demands.

Securing the 5G future

5G brings the promise of revolutionary changes to networks, but the key component currently missing is the security that comes with it. If we look at modern networks today, we might count 15 to 20 security add-ons to support the insecure devices that are allowed to connect, such as IPS, next-generation firewalls, and network access controls. In addition, organizations may be using other defenses such as anti-malware software. As we move these devices to 5G, most of these tools become ineffective or incompatible. However, the need for security remains.

As mentioned earlier, for most of LAN history, we relied on Ethernet and MAC addresses as an important component. In the 5G world, this is mostly replaced by GTP-U or other transport tunnels, which allow unique device addressing that is different from how it works on LANs today. On top of that, today the concept of an IP address is often combined with a MAC address, but in 5G, these addresses become short-lived and change frequently.

All of these factors combined mean that a different approach is needed when it comes to IoT devices connected to 5G networks. As 5G evolves from its infancy to a more mature, widely used technology, security leaders have a unique opportunity to consider security implications and take mitigating actions before 5G becomes fully mainstream, rather than playing catch-up after 5G poses a significant threat.

Here are some questions organizations should ask when considering 5G LAN:

• How can I ensure that every device that connects is a trusted, verified asset for the organization?
• How do I assess whether each connected device meets the compliance standards I need to adhere to?
• How do I implement zero trust in 5G networks and existing networks?
• How can you gain comprehensive visibility into all assets connected across all types of networks, including wired, wireless, 5G, and cloud?