Building Secure 5G Networks

The evolution of mobile networks has brought unprecedented connectivity, but with it comes new security challenges. In this post, I'll share insights from my research on 5G cross-border roaming security.

The Challenge

Cross-border roaming in 5G networks introduces complex trust relationships between operators. Each handover must maintain security properties while minimizing latency.

Our Approach

We developed a novel protocol extension called Zero Round Trip Time Forward Secrecy (0-RTT FS) that achieves zero round-trip performance while maintaining comprehensive security properties.

Key Innovations

Forward Secrecy - Even if long-term keys are compromised, past sessions remain secure

Replay Protection - Built-in mechanisms to prevent replay attacks

Performance - Zero round-trip overhead compared to standard TLS 1.3

Implementation

Our testbed uses Open5GS deployed on Kubernetes, allowing us to simulate realistic roaming scenarios.

Example: Performance testing setup
import k6
from prometheus_client import start_http_server

def run_performance_test():
    # Configure network emulation with tc netem
    setup_network_conditions(latency='50ms', jitter='10ms')
    
    # Run TLS handshake tests
    results = measure_handshake_times(iterations=1000)
    
    return analyze_results(results)

Conclusion

Securing 5G networks requires a holistic approach combining formal verification, performance optimization, and practical implementation. Our work demonstrates that security and performance need not be mutually exclusive.