IoT Edge Increases Attack Surface

Internet of things is going to increase potential attack surfaces by billions of locations at the edge of the 5G network, but that is only one of the ways 5G networks will require more security thinking at the edge of the network. 

5G networks will require openness and collaboration to a greater extent than did 4G, in part because core networks are virtualized and because radio access networks will also increasingly use open source platforms. 

So 5G networks will consist of multiple layers of equipment, processes, and services, from data center processors and cloud management stacks all the way up to operations center software, and each layer is “at least in part, open, to allow interoperability between and among different partners or suppliers,” says  Rajeev Suri, Nokia CEO.

Also, with the expected growth of internet of things devices at the edge of the network, the number of attack surfaces will grow by billions of locations. Also, network slicing will enable virtual private networks, introducing another level of security.