A recent study has unveiled over 100 security vulnerabilities in LTE and 5G network implementations, posing significant risks to cellular communications. Researchers from the University of Florida and North Carolina State University identified 119 vulnerabilities that could allow attackers to disrupt services and gain unauthorized access to core network components.
Key Takeaways
Total Vulnerabilities: 119 vulnerabilities identified across various LTE and 5G implementations.
Affected Implementations: Seven LTE and three 5G implementations were found to be vulnerable.
Potential Impact: Attackers could disrupt cellular communications at a city-wide level.
Exploitation Methods: Vulnerabilities can be exploited by unauthenticated users and compromised base stations.
Overview of Vulnerabilities
The vulnerabilities were discovered during a fuzzing exercise named "RANsacked," which targeted Radio Access Network (RAN)-Core interfaces. These interfaces are critical as they handle inputs from mobile devices and base stations. The researchers noted that many of the vulnerabilities stem from buffer overflows and memory corruption errors, which could be weaponized to breach the cellular core network.
Categories of Vulnerabilities
The identified vulnerabilities can be categorized into two main groups:
Unauthenticated Exploits: These can be exploited by any mobile device without authentication.
Compromised Base Station Exploits: These require an adversary to have access to a base station or femtocell.
Breakdown of Vulnerabilities
Mobility Management Entity (MME): 79 vulnerabilities
Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF): 36 vulnerabilities
Serving Gateway (SGW): 4 vulnerabilities
Additionally, 25 vulnerabilities enable Non-Access Stratum (NAS) pre-authentication attacks, which can be executed by any arbitrary cellphone.
Implications for Security
The introduction of home-use femtocells and more accessible gNodeB base stations in 5G deployments has shifted the security landscape. Previously secure RAN equipment is now exposed to potential physical threats, increasing the risk of exploitation. The researchers emphasized the need for enhanced security measures to protect these interfaces, which were once assumed to be secure.
The findings from this study highlight critical security flaws in LTE and 5G networks that could have far-reaching implications for mobile communications. As these vulnerabilities can be exploited with minimal effort, it is imperative for network operators and manufacturers to address these issues promptly to safeguard against potential attacks that could disrupt services on a large scale.
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Sources
RANsacked: Over 100 Security Flaws Found in LTE and 5G Network Implementations, The Hacker News.