Projects
Open and Secure 5G Networks
Open public Internet access is an important building block of our communication. Networks like
eduroam or govroam provide connectivity around the globe, however, they rely on attack-prone Wi-Fi
without any kind of metadata protection. The goal of this project is to implement an open and
publicly available 5G network that augments existing setups like eduroam and unleashes the security
features of the new upcoming mobile generation.
Building this 5G network introduces an open and cryptographically enhanced infrastructure that
otherwise is fully opaque and dominated by network operators and vendors. In contrast, our proposed
network is fully decentralized and consists of voluntarily maintained access points. When
contributing resources, users receive rewards through a cryptocurrency implemented in a
proof-of-stake blockchain. This facilitates a growing infrastructure, and the 5G network blends in
with other existing public networks.
Besides its performance features, our network concept introduces a diverse set of novel security
features that clearly distinguish it from existing Wi-Fi settings and the deployments of commercial
network providers. First, our network is fully decentralized and distributes the information flow
among the individual voluntary resource providers. Second, we focus on a privacy-preserving
deployment that minimizes the amount of sensitive and meta data. In combination, this generates a
trustable network setup that is fully flexible in its deployment and can range from local 5G access
over augmented campus networks to large-scale industrial contexts.
Operationalization of the NESAS Scheme
5G networks are very complex, and potential security issues can be caused by flaws in the specification, implementation, or the configuration of a network. Identifying such flaws is a persisting and open problem, and existing solutions only cover a fraction of the potential attack surface. Furthermore, methods that identify flaws introduce a high overhead that leads to long testing and analysis cycles. This project aims to improve existing certification standards like NESAS that enable security testing in 5G networks.
Our main focus for possible improvements lies in an integration into the existing development and release procedures. These procedures are applied to networks
In this BSI-funded project, we work together with CampusGenius and secuvera. You can find more information on the project website.
