A Review of the Insecurities Associated with 4G Cellular Data Networks and the Potential Repercussions for its Future Successors Presented by Scott Stappard 15/05/2015Scott Stappard1

UK mobile statistics Ofcom facts and figures % adults have access to a mobile device 61% of these devices are ‘smart phones’ 83.1 million mobile subscriptions 15/05/2015Scott Stappard2

What is a mobile network? 15/05/2015Scott Stappard3 (Mobile) Base Station User Device Air Interface Data broadcast from base station Data broadcast from user device

The First Generation Commonly referred to as 1G First seen 1979 in metropolitan zones throughout Japan Lack of encryption support Inefficient use of the radio spectrum 15/05/2015Scott Stappard4 Evolutionary steps to a modern network

The Second Generation Commercially available from early 1990’s Use of digitised signals Better encryption / spectrum efficiency Regional / local standards & regulations 15/05/2015Scott Stappard5 Evolutionary steps to a modern network

The Third Generation Development began in the 1980’s Undertaken by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunication System (FPLMTS) International Mobile Telecommunication 2000 (IMT-2000) Utilisation of a universal standard Upkeep undertaken by 3 rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Better utilisation of universally accepted bandwidth Allowed the development of smart devices 15/05/2015Scott Stappard6 Evolutionary steps to a modern network

3G Plus Twice the speed of initial 3G networks Examples included Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) After pressure on ITU can be marketed as 4G Also Known as 3.5G, Pre 4G 15/05/2015Scott Stappard7 Is it really 4G your getting?

‘True 4G’ the real fourth generation Have to meet requirements outlined in IMT-Advanced Minimum data transfer rate of 1 gigabit per second Uses Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) technology Increases spectrum efficiency Much faster data transfer rate Utilise Cooperative Multipoint (CoMP) transmission Allows users to be continuously connected 15/05/2015Scott Stappard8

Older networks and single input single output 15/05/2015Scott Stappard9 (Mobile) Base Station Antenna User Device Antenna

Newer networks and Multiple Input Multiple Output 15/05/2015Scott Stappard10 (Mobile) Base Station Antennas User Device Antennas Data sent in parallel Effectively doubling the data transfer rate

Overview of CoMP 15/05/2015Scott Stappard11 (Mobile)

15/05/2015Scott Stappard12 Dangers and issues associated with 4G networks Fake base stations AKA inceptors / IMSI catchers Tracking a moving target Denial of service attacks

Fake base stations Technological development meant they could be smaller and cheaper Used to capture International Mobile Subscriber Identity But now capable of intercepting voice calls and messages Act as a man in the middle attack (MitM) Technology has became know as ‘stingray’ 15/05/2015Scott Stappard13

Real life issues with ISMI catchers The increased functionality of mobile devices Browse the web Send s Stream high quality media (video chat) Send phone calls / SMS messages / MMS messages Not unbelievable for private and confidential information to be sent Data is broadcast from user device and intercepted Malicious third party has access to this information 15/05/2015Scott Stappard14

Tracking a user device via handoff signals Devices by default automatically connect to a base station that is in range Handover signals are transmitted when in range of new base station Could potentially be used to track a user device Potential used by a number of partys Malicious vs non-malicious 15/05/2015Scott Stappard15

Denial of Service attacks Aims to make a network unavailable to its users Disrupts the air interface Can be intentional or unintentional 15/05/2015Scott Stappard16

The development of 5G Planed for the year 2020 Standard development lead by Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) Minimum speed of 1-10 Gigabits Per Second Potential use mmWave Massive MIMO technology 15/05/2015Scott Stappard17

Massive MIMO 100+ antenna per base station Large number of simultaneous connections to one base station Spectrum efficiency vastly increased 15/05/2015Scott Stappard18

mmWave bandwidth Extremely high frequency bandwidths used 30GHz – 300GHz Newly technological advances can make use of these bandwidths Smaller network components are needed to fully utilize EHF bandwidths Base stations going to cover a maximum of 200m Base stations will be placed more frequently potential on every street 15/05/2015Scott Stappard19

Spatial multiplexing Divides outgoing signal where each part is broadcast in parallel Uses the same radio frequency Lower cost / lower energy requirements 15/05/2015Scott Stappard20

Beamforming Concentrated signal is moved to follow user device This is done by changing signal strength of the antennas More efficient but less energy efficient Allows a user access to stronger signals 15/05/2015Scott Stappard21

Beamforming 15/05/2015Scott Stappard22

Beamforming 15/05/2015Scott Stappard23

Aggravated issues More base stations covering the same area Need to be within 200m to spot fake mast Easier to track a device to smaller geographical location mmWave know to be disrupted by meteorological changes Potential easier to disrupt than lower bandwidths Nothing is certain still 5 years for new technological advances 15/05/2015Scott Stappard24

What can be done to protect yourself? Anti Stingray applications can be used to detect ISMI Catchers Do not automatically connect to bases stations 15/05/2015Scott Stappard25

How will 5G effect the future Virtual reality / augmented reality Not just used in gaming Manufacturing and medical applications Self driving / connected cars Connect to traffic management services Pin point if your near a traffic jam Full automated cars Wireless Cloud-Based Offices Already present with 4G systems Decreased latency advances the concept 15/05/2015Scott Stappard26

How will 5G effect the future Machine to Machine (Internet of Things) / Connected homes Smart device linking to each other via 5G Number of world wide devices set to hit 1-2 billion Smart meters, smart thermostats, smoke alarms 15/05/2015Scott Stappard27

15/05/2015Scott Stappard28 Questions ? Contact: