Cybersecurity for 5G: ENISA Releases Report on Security Controls in 3GPP

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) provides authorities with technical guidance on the 5G Toolbox measure for security requirements in existing 5G standards.

The Agency released its Security in 5G Specifications Report about key security controls in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the main body developing technical specifications for fifth generation of mobile telecommunications (5G) networks. As vendors, system integrators and operators build, deploy and manage 5G networks, the ENISA publication underlines the need for cybersecurity and for the national regulatory authorities in charge of cybersecurity policy development and implementation to have a good understanding of these controls.

This new ENISA report is directly driven by the objectives set in the EU toolbox for 5G security – mainly technical measure ‘TM02’. This technical measure calls on the relevant authorities in EU Member States to ensure and evaluate the implementation of security measures in existing 5G standards (3GPP specifically) by operators and their suppliers.

The aim of the report is to help national and regulatory authorities to better understand the standardisation environment pertaining to 5G security, 3GPP security specifications and key security controls that operators must implement to secure 5G networks.

More specifically, the report provides:

A high-level overview of the specification and standardisation landscape for the security of 5G networks, and of the main activities by various standardisation organisations and industrial groups in the area of 5G;
An explanation of the technical specifications developed by 3GPP for the security of 5G networks, with a focus on optional security features;
Summary of key findings and good security practices.

The ENISA report also covers security considerations beyond standards and specifications, such as testing and assurance, product development, network design, configuration and deployment, and operation and management.

Audience

The target audience of this report includes representatives of national ministries and national cybersecurity agencies who are members of the NIS Cooperation Group and who are engaged in the workstream on 5G cybersecurity, as well as the competent authorities in charge of overseeing security measures under the European Electronic Communications Code.

Background

In December 2020, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity published an updated version of its 5G threat assessment report (ENISA Threat Landscape for 5G Networks report) to address advancements in the areas of 5G and to contribute to the implementation of the EU toolbox for 5G security cybersecurity risk-mitigating measures.

Just last month, following a request by the European Commission, the Agency announced that it would proceed with the preparation of the new candidate cybersecurity certification scheme on 5G. This step is expected to enhance the cybersecurity of 5G networks as it contributes to addressing certain risks, as part of a broader risk mitigation strategy.

More information on the Union’s actions to strengthen cybersecurity capacities for 5G networks is available in this brochure.