Security experts 'name' 3 major challenges in 5G network security

With the theme “ Ensuring cyber security and building trust in the digital age ”, the Vietnam Security Summit 2025 attracted more than 1,000 leaders and leading experts in the field of information security to discuss the latest security trends and solutions, helping businesses effectively deal with threats in the new era.

Sharing at the conference, Mr. Louis Lou, Vice President of Huawei's Cyber Security and Privacy Protection Department, said that all critical infrastructures today including: Government, healthcare, finance, electricity, telecommunications, transportation,education , oil and gas... are facing unprecedented threats from cyberspace.

The world has witnessed a series of serious cyber attacks from the Colonial Pipeline incident (USA) that caused widespread disruption of the fuel supply chain in 2021, the consecutive attacks on the Ukrainian power grid causing nationwide power outages in 2022, to the Royal Mail incident (UK) with 44GB of stolen data and a ransom of up to 80 million USD in 2023...

But that doesn't stop there, the world will face new challenges in 5G network security. Currently, 5G opens a new era for industries with multiple applications such as: Ultra-fast data transmission (eMBB), real-time communication (URLLC), connecting millions of IoT devices (mMTC). However, the complex and distributed 5G network architecture becomes a "double-edged sword", creating 3 major challenges in network security.

Specifically, the way network functions are deployed at the edge and network slicing to serve different needs is blurring the lines between traditional security layers. Allowing more devices, systems, and people to access the network also increases the risk from untrusted entities. Along with that, new technologies such as virtualization and cloud computing will increase the attack surface.

Faced with that reality, building cyber resilience - the ability to maintain continuous system operations even when attacked - has been included in many countries' cybersecurity strategies. Strengthening cyber resilience from both a technical and legal perspective is clearly mentioned in the US National Cyber Security Strategy 2023, the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) issued in 2024, etc.

In the face of evolving threats, operators around the world can rely on two key industry tools to strengthen their security posture, said Louis Lou. Specifically, GSMA – as the world’s largest telecommunications association – has built MCKB and NESAS as industry-leading cybersecurity certification and guidance programs.

The NESAS standard, developed by GSMA and 3GPP, is widely adopted across the industry. More than 20 countries recognize it as a vendor product security assessment standard.

The GSMA MCKB standard is used globally as a cybersecurity guide, helping telecom operators build their security capabilities, enhancing overall network security and resilience.

Sharing at the event, Mr. Louis Lou emphasized that Huawei is ready to work closely with telecommunications carriers and the Vietnamese Government to jointly build a secure 5G network, protect against threats by approaching international standards and building network resilience strategies for each industry.

In addition to cutting-edge security products and solutions, Huawei is also committed to promoting innovation, training, and support for the industry.

Mr. Louis Lou has 20 years of in-depth experience in the telecommunications industry. In addition to his role as Vice President of Cyber Security and Privacy at Huawei, he also serves as Vice President of the Security and Fraud Architecture Working Group (FSAG) of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

Minh Khoi

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/chuyen-gia-bao-mat-diem-mat-3-thach-thuc-lon-ve-an-ninh-mang-5g-ar945280.html