Caution. Increase in 5G adoption to leave space open for cyber attacks: Palo Alto Networks

Even as telecom players are gearing up for 5G services, cybersecurity experts have cautioned the Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) about the likely increase in cyber attacks.

US-based cybersecurity solutions company Palo Alto Networks said that the cloud could expose the 5G core to security vulnerabilities. “5G connections in India are expected to reach 88 million by 2025,” it said, quoting reports.

“While the spotlight is currently focused on delivering higher data speeds, latency improvements, and the overall functional redesign of mobile networks, the cloud will expose the 5G core to cloud security vulnerabilities,” Sean Duca, Vice President and Regional Chief Security Officer (Asia Pacific and Japan) of Palo Alto Networks, said.

“CISOs will need to be wary of large-scale attacks originating from any source, including the operator’s own network,” he said.

Secure medical devices

Palo Alto Networks said digitisation has enabled new healthcare capabilities such as virtual healthcare and remote diagnosis. “But the prevalence of legacy and sensitive data will make healthcare an attractive target for cyber threat actors,” it said.

Ensuring the cybersecurity of medical IoT will be important as ever for patient safety as the closer a patient is to a device, the greater the likelihood for weaponisation by bad actors.

Cloud supply chain attacks

It said cloud-native architectures, which are also consuming third-party code in their critical applications, will render the entire cloud supply chain vulnerable.

Citing its recent survey, ‘What’s Next in Cyber Survey,’ it said about 37 per cent of global organisations expected software supply chain attacks to increase most in 2023. About 44 per cent of Indian organisations expected software supply chain attacks to increase in 2023.

Data sovereignty debate

As the world becomes more reliant on data and digital information, the volume of regulations and legislation to control and protect citizens will increase.

“As a result, the conversations around data localisation and data sovereignty will likely intensify in 2023,” it predicted.

Metaverse, the new playground

The cybersecurity solution company said the Metaverse could open up a new playground for cybercriminals, with an estimated $54 billion being spent on virtual goods every year.

“The immersive nature of the metaverse will unlock new opportunities for businesses and consumers alike, as it will allow buyers and sellers to connect in a new way,” it pointed out.

“Companies, and cyber attackers in tandem, will take advantage of mixed reality experiences to diversify their offerings and cater to the needs of consumers in the metaverse,” it said.

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