5G is no more a dream of the future but a current reality for many among us.It has been a gamer changer for entire markets who have made the switch, marking the start of a new era. Offering a much more reliable and faster communication network it has the potential to encourage the increased usage of the Internet of Things. This in turn would create an environment of connectedness and help sustain economic growth, harboring greater productivity leading to much more empowered and enriched lives. Along with bringing the option of high-speed internet to the rural populations, it also opens up the doors of several economic options for them, considering the current pandemic that has forced many things to be conducted online.
If you are a city dweller looking for an internet service provider that offers high-speed internet and reliable service, you may want to check Spectrum for availability.There are many other providers offering services all over the country but nobody beats affordable Spectrum deals, offering great value for money, and contract-free. Being the second-largest provider in the U.S. and covering 44 states there is a high chance you will be able to get Spectrum services. However, if you live remote location, outside the coverage of any broadband provider then 5G may be your saving grace.
The new advancement in technology has indeed opened up a new world of excitement and awe but several red flags are showing up as well. Speculations about the health and cybersecurity risks associated with this new technology have been going on for a long time. Experts are arguing that 5G has an equal capacity of allowing hackers to wreak havoc in the world as it has for development in the world.
5G – The Next Generation
The “G” in 5G stands for “Generation”. Generation as in the next generation in technology and not our human generations. 5G is the latest generation in mobile communication technology and hence the most superior too. The latest generation the better the speed at which data is transmitted over the network. In the case of 5G technology,it is not only the improved speed but also the intelligent power consumption, low latency, high device density as well as network slicing that is offered to a user. Thus, making it a breakthrough in wireless mobile communications.
Benefits of 5G
There are several benefits to be reaped with the use of 5G network technology. Improved communication and therefore the daily operations are the most obvious but let us go ahead and look at some of the benefits in a little detail.
1. Network Speed
This one is quite obvious and you may have thought of it yourself too. As the latest generation of wireless network technology 5G offers a greater speed that can enhance the productivity of people using it.
2. Communication
With greater speed also comes better collaboration through seamless communication. As powerful as 5G is, communication methods like Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality can be brought into use.
3. Internet of Things
The opportunity to connect a greater number of devices to the internet means that there will be incredible opportunities available to the public involving the use of self-driving cars, drones, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and several other technologies in the pipelines.
4. Innovation
Everytime there has been an improvement in internet technology it has acted as a catalyst for innovation in several other industries. For example, automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing industries could be looking at some major advancements soon.
5. Energy Consumption
5G technology claims to use 90 percent less core network energy thus extending battery life by 10 times.
The Cybersecurity Risks
Cybersecurity is a big deal these days because right now more Americans are afraid of cybercrimes than facing a real-world crime on the streets. The world as we know it already contains ransomware, crypto-jacking, malware, data breaches, identity theft, and other malicious tools used by cybercriminals to conduct their heinous crimes against unsuspecting internet users. Even though connectedness sounds wonderful it also means that we may be more vulnerable to these kinds of cyberattacks. On top of that, we may also face new threats that may be developed by the use of 5G networks. Let us look at a few threats that we may come across.
- The network infrastructure has moved from a centralized hardware-based switching to a distributed software-defined routing. This leads to a lack of hardware choke points in case there is a cyberattack. It will be impossible to inspect or control the security of the network.
- All network functions are conducted virtually increasing the cybersecurity risk to the network. Since all higher-level network functions are performed virtually through software instead of physical appliances there is an increased reliance on standardized building block protocols, adding to the network’s vulnerability. This is mainly because unlike physical appliances a software can be controlled remotely.
- A dramatic increase in bandwidth also means that a virus or any other malicious software can run faster on the network causing a lot of damage to a much larger number of devices before being detected.
- The small cell antennas that are the main aspect of the 5G infrastructure may cause health hazards as well as cybersecurity vulnerabilities for the network. Besides expanding bandwidththey are also open targets for any cyber attackers who may use them to remotely control some aspects of the network.
- With billions of devices connected to the internet, imagine the kind of damage a deranged hacker could do. From transportation to healthcare, public safety to military operations, anything, and everything are at risk of being hacked and falling into the control of people who could use it for the worst of purposes.
- Botnets could be another security risk of the future. The current networks are not fast enough for botnet attacks to be conducted successfully. However, with the introduction of 5G technology, we may encounter botnet attacks sooner than we thought.
Conclusion
The real race now is not acquiring the 5G network but keeping it tightly secured instead. To reap the benefits of this wonderful innovation, we need to come up with cybersecurity solutions as soon as possible.