Private 5G, boasting ultra-high throughput and ultra-low latency, is a pivotal enabler for digital transformation in smart manufacturing, healthcare, industrial automation and other sectors. Yet its virtualized architecture, multi-vendor integration and edge computing fusion expand the attack surface, posing severe security risks that may cause data leakage and core business interruptions if unaddressed. Securing Private 5G demands integrating security into the full network lifecycle—design, deployment and operation—by targeting core risks with practical measures, rather than mere technical stacking.
Protect Sensitive Data via Encryption and Isolation
Enterprise sensitive data on Private 5G is a prime target for attacks, with interception and leakage being common risks. Full-link encryption is foundational: adopt 3GPP-approved AES for wireless interface traffic, deploy TLS with certificate management between terminals and servers, and mandate Subscriber Concealed Identifier (SUCI) to block plaintext transmission in authentication. Network slicing physically and logically isolates traffic by service and sensitivity, confining risks locally. Additionally, User Plane Function (UPF) local offloading keeps core data within enterprise boundaries, cutting external transmission risks.
Mitigate Signal Interference with Monitoring and Adaptation
As a radio frequency-based network, Private 5G is prone to signal interference that can paralyze production lines and disable medical equipment. A closed-loop “real-time monitoring-flexible adaptation-active protection” system is critical. 24/7 professional spectrum monitoring captures abnormal fluctuations and identifies targeted interference. Pre-planned load balancing distributes traffic across channels/frequency bands, and anti-interference technologies like frequency hopping, spread spectrum, beamforming and MIMO enable multi-path transmission. The network is also configured to auto-switch to backup channels when persistent interference is detected, ensuring core service connectivity.
Reinforce Access Control to Fend Off Unauthorized Intrusion
Weak access control is a major vulnerability, especially in multi-tenant MEC environments, leading to illegal resource access, data theft and cross-tenant risk spread. A unified network-wide multi-factor authentication (MFA) mechanism safeguards administrator and O&M access, while the least privilege principle via Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) minimizes permission abuse. In multi-tenant scenarios, hypervisors isolate hardware resources, containerization secures individual applications, and VLANs physically separate tenant traffic. Encrypted channels and firewalls filter inter-virtual machine/container communication, ensuring all access is traceable and controllable.
Build Resilience Against Service Disruptions
DoS attacks, malware and third-party application vulnerabilities often cause service outages by exhausting resources, tampering with configurations or disabling nodes. Resilience is built through capacity planning, anomaly monitoring and third-party management. Network planning includes accurate capacity assessment with resource redundancy and network element rate limiting to block forged request impacts. A full-dimensional anomaly monitoring system tracks core network and edge node resource utilization, triggering automatic traffic limiting/blocking at preset thresholds. Strict third-party access control, including security inspections and vulnerability patching, reduces attack entry points. A comprehensive incident response plan, paired with traffic offloading and failover systems, enables quick backup resource switching. Logical network partitioning and SIEM systems detect and remove malware by monitoring cross-zone traffic.
IPLOOK’s Vision for Private 5G Security Ecology
As a leading global 3G/4G/5G/6G core network provider with over a decade of technical expertise and global commercial experience, IPLOOK is a key pillar of Private 5G security. Going forward, IPLOOK will embed security into its core products, optimize core network encryption isolation and MEC security management for multi-tenant integrated protection, and launch customized vertical industry solutions to build domestic security barriers. It will also participate in industry standard-setting and collaborate with ecological partners to create end-to-end security deployment solutions, empowering cross-industry Private 5G security construction through technological innovation and ecological co-construction for a safer intelligent digital future.
Source: GSMA Intelligence
