The telecom industry is no stranger to security threats.
From phishing to SMS scams, the industry has seen it all.
However, the industry is still seeing a spike in these threats. For example, in 2022, consumers in the US lost $330 million to SMS scams.
What’s more? Telecom operators have also witnessed new telecom frauds in recent years.
According to Nokia’s report, there has been a five-fold increase in malicious botnet Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) traffic emerging from vulnerable IoT devices. Another report stated that nearly three-quarters of 5G operators experienced up to six security breaches. These resulted in network downtime, regulatory issues, and unauthorized access to customer data.
While technologies like IoT and 5G promise a future of connectivity and innovation, mobile operators worry about new threats.
They must consider new mitigation strategies to improve mobile network security and adapt to the ever-changing landscape.
Let’s look at various threats to discover how operators overcome them with the latest security technology.
Five Trends And Predictions To Secure The Mobile Ecosystem
- AI
Attackers have found a new way to hack the network. It’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). They have been using AI/ML to impersonate humans to enter the network, build sneakier malware, and create deep fake data.
The good news is operators can use the same technology to solve the problem. They can use AI to analyze baseline behavioral patterns and highlight anomalies. For example, AI/ML can analyze previous breaches, such as malware, phishing, and DDoS, and suggest mitigation steps to operators.
This helps them take pre-emptive measures on time and safeguard the network. It will also allow them to improve network reliability and protect customer data in real time.
- 5G security
Several telecom operators have started providing 5G network connectivity to customers in different countries. 5G promises to connect billions of devices and people by transporting data 1000 times faster than 4G. In fact, 5G is more secure and addresses the vulnerabilities of the 4G network. For example, it offers more robust encryption, data protection, and end-to-end security protection for source and destination network traffic. It provides a unique feature called network slicing that segments the network and offers custom security controls. So, operators can block or quarantine the traffic on that network slice whenever there is an incident. This helps in reducing the attack surface, enhancing security.
However, there are still a few privacy concerns. One being that 5G connects more devices than 4G, exposing the network to more vulnerabilities. Operators could face challenges in real-time while monitoring threats, compromising the connected devices.
These issues have brought several telecom operators together for the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) collaborative project. it aims to set and update security standards based on the changing landscape.
- Threat intelligence sharing
Despite collecting large amounts of information on cyber threats, operators do not share it with other operators.
In an interconnected world, operators can no longer withhold threat intelligence information or function in silos. They must share this information in order to improve security posture and safeguard customers from threats. This could include sharing the latest on emerging threats, best practices, and standardized protocols. The aim is to help operators put a united front to stay ahead of the attackers.
GSMA’s T-ISAC and FASG have already started sharing knowledge and best practices to make networks more secure. They host webinars and share industry experts’ opinions on building a safe environment for operators to exchange intelligence safely.
Such initiatives motivate operators to become more proactive in sharing intelligence with others.
- SMS Firewalls
Due to the staggering number of application-to-person (A2P) messages from enterprises worldwide, SMS fraud remains a concern. According to Elon Musk, X lost over $60 million yearly due to A2P fraud. Mobile operators are concerned about this loss and have taken precautions to alleviate these issues. One of the solutions used is SMS firewalls.
An SMS firewall acts as a barrier for mobile networks. It screens the incoming and outgoing messages based on algorithms to detect and block malicious messages. This prevents spam and fraud messages from reaching the recipients, saving them from data theft.
- IoT security
Every industry – from healthcare to manufacturing- is adopting IoT to connect devices and accelerate innovation. However, the connected devices are susceptible to cyberattacks like malware despite their benefits. A single attack is all it takes for a bad actor to steal sensitive data from the device and halt all business operations.
Mobile operators can address these issues by implementing a device authentication mechanism, zero-trust policy, and end-to-end data encryption. They can also isolate the IoT network from the main infrastructure to prevent attackers from entering the network and impacting critical systems.
As the IoT ecosystem expands, operators must take additional precautions to nip the attacks in the bud. Vodafone, for example, uses traffic management tools to set thresholds and alert customers when they identify a suspicious pattern. This allows operators to provide innovative connectivity solutions without compromising on security.
Conclusion
Mobile operators must constantly balance enhancing security and introducing innovative products. This helps them to meet customer demands, of securing the network from threats.
Combining new mitigation strategies and advanced technologies with AI/ML capabilities can help operators achieve the required balance. It also helps them improve compliance and save cost.
We recommend working with a trustworthy technology partner who can provide the right technology to identify and block threats.
Globe Teleservices, for instance, has been building solutions like Armour and Grentor to protect networks from frauds. Armour uses AI/ML and analytics to prevent voice and SMS fraud. Grentor tracks network user activities to detect and analyze fraud, helping operators protect country networks from bad actors.
Solutions like these help operators take pre-emptive measures and build innovative solutions without compromising security.
If you’ve been looking for solutions to safeguard your network, voice, and SMS from threats, contact us. We’ll be happy to help.