Software-Defined 5G Security Testbed
Abstract
Testbeds play a major role in developing and testing new wireless communications technologies and systems. The 5th generation of mobile communications (5G) and the first commercial New Radio (NR) networks are about to be launched. In this early stage of development and deployment,the US DoD has realized the importance of this new technology to gain competitive advantage for its future missions. The commercial 5G ecosystem and worldwide dominance will influence tactical deployments. The US DoD will leverage the engineering efforts and the inexpensive components that a 5G mass market will bring, but it requires strong domestic R&D to ensure 5Gnetwork and service security for its military missions. 5G was not built for tactical applications. Although important improvements in terms of security and privacy have been made with respect to 4G, several issues still exist and have already been reported in open literature. We therefore propose developing a 5G security testbed that allows experimental evaluation of 5G protocols, components and services, and their evolution for future military and mission critical networks. The software-defined 5G security testbed will be built using commercial off-the-shelf equipment and advanced software for 5G system and signal analyses, aswell as for system implementation, modification and testing. More precisely, we propose a software-defined radio testbed to allow for maximum flexibility and portability. The testbed will enable wireless system testing in a controlled RF environment as well as outdoors with real mobility, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs have been long used for military missions and will benefit from 5G technology. They will leverage as well as extend the scope of next generation mission critical networks. Our vision is to use and develop open-source software that will take full potential of the testbed for rapid prototyping and testing of new wireless network security solutions. The proposed testbed will enable education and research on 5G network security, enriching Mississippi State Universitys communications and networking curriculum by providing graduate and undergraduate students with diverse set of opportunities to use the testbed and implement their ideas in a safe environment. The proposed low-cost integrated system will create an extremely valuable testing environment that, to the best of our knowledge, no other testbed offers. A gradual upgrade from a couple of 5G system and analysis nodes to a fully-fledged 5G test networkminimizes risks and encourages open-source and fully adaptable software development initiatives. We envisage this platform to become an enabler for collaborative research and innovative solutions with direct impact to the DoD agencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 29, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012323
Entities
People
- Vuk Marojevic
Organizations
- Mississippi State University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy