Securing the Open RAN Infrastructure: Exploring Vulnerabilities in Kubernetes Deployments

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2405.01888v1
• Date: Fri, 3 May 2024 07:18:45 GMT
• Title: Securing the Open RAN Infrastructure: Exploring Vulnerabilities in Kubernetes Deployments
• Authors: Felix Klement, Alessandro Brighente, Michele Polese, Mauro Conti, Stefan Katzenbeisser,
• Abstract summary: We investigate the security implications of and software-based Open Radio Access Network (RAN) systems. We highlight the presence of potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in the infrastructure supporting the Near Real-Time RAN Controller (RIC) cluster.
• Score: 60.51751612363882
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the security implications of virtualized and software-based Open Radio Access Network (RAN) systems, specifically focusing on the architecture proposed by the O-RAN ALLIANCE and O-Cloud deployments based on the O-RAN Software Community (OSC) stack and infrastructure. Our key findings are based on a thorough security assessment and static scanning of the OSC Near Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) cluster. We highlight the presence of potential vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in the Kubernetes infrastructure supporting the RIC, also due to the usage of outdated versions of software packages, and provide an estimation of their criticality using various deployment auditing frameworks (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK and the NSA CISA). In addition, we propose methodologies to minimize these issues and harden the Open RAN virtualization infrastructure. These encompass the integration of security evaluation methods into the deployment process, implementing deployment hardening measures, and employing policy-based control for RAN components. We emphasize the need to address the problems found in order to improve the overall security of virtualized Open RAN systems.

Related papers

• Securing Legacy Communication Networks via Authenticated Cyclic Redundancy Integrity Check [98.34702864029796]
  We propose Authenticated Cyclic Redundancy Integrity Check (ACRIC) ACRIC preserves backward compatibility without requiring additional hardware and is protocol agnostic. We show that ACRIC offers robust security with minimal transmission overhead ( 1 ms)
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-11-21T18:26:05Z)
• SETC: A Vulnerability Telemetry Collection Framework [0.0]
  This paper introduces the Security Exploit Telemetry Collection (SETC) framework. SETC generates reproducible vulnerability exploit data at scale for robust defensive security research. This research enables scalable exploit data generation to drive innovations in threat modeling, detection methods, analysis techniques, and strategies.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-06-10T00:13:35Z)
• Securing O-RAN Open Interfaces [17.479389941383605]
  The next generation of cellular networks will be characterized by openness, intelligence, and distributed computing. The Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) framework represents a significant leap toward realizing these ideals. While it holds the potential to disrupt the established vendor lock-ins, Open RAN's disaggregated nature raises critical security concerns.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-04-23T14:25:05Z)
• ZTRAN: Prototyping Zero Trust Security xApps for Open Radio Access Network Deployments [2.943640991628177]
  Open radio access network (O-RAN) offers new degrees of freedom for building and operating advanced cellular networks. This paper proposes leveraging zero trust principles for O-RAN security. We introduce zero trust RAN (ZTRAN), which embeds service authentication, intrusion detection, and secure slicing subsystems that are encapsulated as xApps.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-03-06T23:57:16Z)
• A Survey and Comparative Analysis of Security Properties of CAN Authentication Protocols [92.81385447582882]
  The Controller Area Network (CAN) bus leaves in-vehicle communications inherently non-secure. This paper reviews and compares the 15 most prominent authentication protocols for the CAN bus. We evaluate protocols based on essential operational criteria that contribute to ease of implementation.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-01-19T14:52:04Z)
• Secure Authentication Mechanism for Cluster based Vehicular Adhoc Network (VANET): A Survey [1.0070449177493677]
  Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) play a crucial role in Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) by facilitating communication between vehicles and infrastructure. This survey paper presents a comprehensive analysis of existing authentication mechanisms proposed for cluster-based VANETs. The integration of secure key management techniques is discussed to enhance the overall authentication process.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-12-20T10:58:43Z)
• Implementing and Evaluating Security in O-RAN: Interfaces, Intelligence, and Platforms [18.106587432715155]
  The Open Radio Access Network (RAN) builds on top of cloud-based, multi-vendor, open and intelligent architectures to shape the next generation of cellular networks for 5G and beyond. This article is the first work in approaching the security aspect of O-RAN holistically and with experimental evidence obtained on a state-of-the-art programmable O-RAN platform.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-04-21T17:02:35Z)
• Evaluating Model-free Reinforcement Learning toward Safety-critical Tasks [70.76757529955577]
  This paper revisits prior work in this scope from the perspective of state-wise safe RL. We propose Unrolling Safety Layer (USL), a joint method that combines safety optimization and safety projection. To facilitate further research in this area, we reproduce related algorithms in a unified pipeline and incorporate them into SafeRL-Kit.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2022-12-12T06:30:17Z)
• Safe RAN control: A Symbolic Reinforcement Learning Approach [62.997667081978825]
  We present a Symbolic Reinforcement Learning (SRL) based architecture for safety control of Radio Access Network (RAN) applications. We provide a purely automated procedure in which a user can specify high-level logical safety specifications for a given cellular network topology. We introduce a user interface (UI) developed to help a user set intent specifications to the system, and inspect the difference in agent proposed actions.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2021-06-03T16:45:40Z)
• Dos and Don'ts of Machine Learning in Computer Security [74.1816306998445]
  Despite great potential, machine learning in security is prone to subtle pitfalls that undermine its performance. We identify common pitfalls in the design, implementation, and evaluation of learning-based security systems. We propose actionable recommendations to support researchers in avoiding or mitigating the pitfalls where possible.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2020-10-19T13:09:31Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.