New Cyber Brief: Securing 5G Networks: Challenges and Recommendations
from Net Politics and Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program

New Cyber Brief: Securing 5G Networks: Challenges and Recommendations

5G networks could revolutionize the digital economy, but with this opportunity come major cybersecurity challenges. A new Council on Foreign Relations Cyber Brief provides recommendations for policymakers.
A woman walks past a billboard reading '5G is here' on day one of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2019 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on June 26, 2019 in Shanghai, China.
A woman walks past a billboard reading '5G is here' on day one of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Shanghai 2019 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on June 26, 2019 in Shanghai, China. VCG via Getty Images

The Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program has launched a new Cyber Brief. This one provides recommendations to the U.S. government to counter the cybersecurity challenges posed by 5G. It was written by Robert Williams, Executive Director of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School.

Here's the introduction:

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Cybersecurity

5G

Fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications networks could revolutionize the digital economy by enabling new applications that depend on ultra-fast communications at industrial scale. Many of these new applications, such as driverless cars, telemedicine, factory automation, smart electric grids, and smart cities, will capitalize on advances in artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G networks themselves will be AI-enabled.

With these opportunities come major cybersecurity challenges. Western governments are grappling with the risks posed by Huawei and other Chinese vendors of 5G infrastructure equipment. On May 15, 2019, U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order laying the groundwork for a ban on Huawei equipment in U.S. networks, a long-anticipated move that was accompanied by the Commerce Department’s even more consequential decision to restrict the company’s access to U.S. components. Excluding Huawei from U.S. networks, however, is not the same as securing those networks. Instead, U.S. policymakers need to adopt a broader strategy that includes technical measures, regulatory adjustments, a sensible legal liability regime, diplomacy, and investments in research and cybersecurity skills training.

You can find the full brief here.

More on:

Cybersecurity

5G

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