Soft Tester UE: A Novel Approach for Open RAN Security Testing

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2410.09641v1
• Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2024 20:35:49 GMT
• Title: Soft Tester UE: A Novel Approach for Open RAN Security Testing
• Authors: Joshua Moore, Aly Sabri Abdalla, Charles Ueltschey, Vuk Marojevic,
• Abstract summary: This article introduces the Soft Tester UE (soft T-UE), a software-defined test equipment designed to evaluate the security of 5G and O-RAN deployments. The soft T-UE promotes the development of new security measures and enhances the capability to anticipate and mitigate potential security breaches.
• Score: 2.943640991628177
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: With the rise of 5G and open radio access networks (O-RAN), there is a growing demand for customizable experimental platforms dedicated to security testing, as existing testbeds do not prioritize this area. Traditional, hardware-dependent testing methods pose challenges for smaller companies and research institutions. The growing wireless threat landscape highlights the critical need for proactive security testing, as 5G and O-RAN deployments are appealing targets for cybercriminals. To address these challenges, this article introduces the Soft Tester UE (soft T-UE), a software-defined test equipment designed to evaluate the security of 5G and O-RAN deployments via the Uu air interface between the user equipment (UE) and the network. The outcome is to deliver a free, open-source, and expandable test instrument to address the need for both standardized and customizable automated security testing. By extending beyond traditional security metrics, the soft T-UE promotes the development of new security measures and enhances the capability to anticipate and mitigate potential security breaches. The tool's automated testing capabilities are demonstrated through a scenario where the Radio Access Network (RAN) under test is evaluated when it receives fuzzed data when initiating a connection with an UE.

Related papers

• VWAttacker: A Systematic Security Testing Framework for Voice over WiFi User Equipments [10.566986981707501]
  VWAttacker is a framework for analyzing the security of Voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) User Equipment (UE) implementations.<n>It uses property-guided adversarial testing to uncover security issues in different UEs systematically.<n>It extracts 63 properties from 11 specifications, evaluates 1,116 testcases, and detects 13 issues in 21 UEs.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-02T19:37:57Z)
• AI/ML Life Cycle Management for Interoperable AI Native RAN [50.61227317567369]
  Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models are rapidly permeating the 5G Radio Access Network (RAN)<n>These developments lay the foundation for AI-native transceivers as a key enabler for 6G.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-24T16:04:59Z)
• Securing Open RAN: A Survey of Cryptographic Challenges and Emerging Solutions for 5G [5.343932820859596]
  Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) introduce modularity and flexibility into 5G deployments.<n>This review synthesizes recent research across thirteen academic and industry sources, examining vulnerabilities such as cipher bidding-down attacks.<n> Emphasis is placed on emerging testbeds and AI-driven controllers that facilitate dynamic orchestration.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-06-11T06:04:40Z)
• Poster: Towards an Automated Security Testing Framework for Industrial UEs [2.7082111912355877]
  We report on our efforts to create an automated security testing framework for industrial UEs.<n>We aim to provide stakeholders with a fully automated-method to verify that higher-layer security protocols are correctly implemented.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-22T06:54:38Z)
• RAN Tester UE: An Automated Declarative UE Centric Security Testing Platform [2.943640991628177]
  This paper introduces an automated, adaptive, and scalable user equipment (UE) based RAN security testing framework.<n>Results on a 5G software testbed built with commercial off-the-shelf hardware and open source software.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-16T03:12:38Z)
• CANTXSec: A Deterministic Intrusion Detection and Prevention System for CAN Bus Monitoring ECU Activations [53.036288487863786]
  We propose CANTXSec, the first deterministic Intrusion Detection and Prevention system based on physical ECU activations.<n>It detects and prevents classical attacks in the CAN bus, while detecting advanced attacks that have been less investigated in the literature.<n>We prove the effectiveness of our solution on a physical testbed, where we achieve 100% detection accuracy in both classes of attacks while preventing 100% of FIAs.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-14T13:37:07Z)
• Large-Scale (Semi-)Automated Security Assessment of Consumer IoT Devices -- A Roadmap [1.4680035572775536]
  The Internet of Things (IoT) has rapidly expanded across various sectors, with consumer IoT devices experiencing growth. Common and easy-to-explore vulnerabilities make IoT devices prime targets for malicious actors. This paper reviews current IoT security challenges and assessment efforts, identifies gaps, and proposes a roadmap for scalable, automated security assessment.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-09T09:15:04Z)
• Integrated LLM-Based Intrusion Detection with Secure Slicing xApp for Securing O-RAN-Enabled Wireless Network Deployments [2.943640991628177]
  The Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture is reshaping telecommunications by promoting openness, flexibility, and intelligent closed-loop optimization. This research explores using large language models (LLMs) to generate security recommendations based on the temporal traffic patterns of connected UEs.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-01T01:45:07Z)
• Towards Trustworthy GUI Agents: A Survey [64.6445117343499]
  This survey examines the trustworthiness of GUI agents in five critical dimensions. We identify major challenges such as vulnerability to adversarial attacks, cascading failure modes in sequential decision-making. As GUI agents become more widespread, establishing robust safety standards and responsible development practices is essential.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-30T13:26:00Z)
• 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)
• IDU-Detector: A Synergistic Framework for Robust Masquerader Attack Detection [3.3821216642235608]
  In the digital age, users store personal data in corporate databases, making data security central to enterprise management. Given the extensive attack surface, assets face challenges like weak authentication, vulnerabilities, and malware. We introduce the IDU-Detector, integrating Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) with User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) This integration monitors unauthorized access, bridges system gaps, ensures continuous monitoring, and enhances threat identification.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-11-09T13:03:29Z)
• AutoPT: How Far Are We from the End2End Automated Web Penetration Testing? [54.65079443902714]
  We introduce AutoPT, an automated penetration testing agent based on the principle of PSM driven by LLMs. Our results show that AutoPT outperforms the baseline framework ReAct on the GPT-4o mini model.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-11-02T13:24:30Z)
• Towards Automated Penetration Testing: Introducing LLM Benchmark, Analysis, and Improvements [1.4433703131122861]
  Large language models (LLMs) have shown potential across various domains, including cybersecurity. There is currently no comprehensive, open, end-to-end automated penetration testing benchmark. This paper introduces a novel open benchmark for LLM-based automated penetration testing.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-10-22T16:18:41Z)
• Advanced Penetration Testing for Enhancing 5G Security [0.0]
  This paper reviews penetration testing approaches for identifying security vulnerabilities in 5G networks. It examines ways adversaries exploit vulnerabilities in 5G networks, covering tactics and strategies targeted at 5G features. Our research indicates that 5G penetration testing should use a multithreaded approach for addressing current security challenges.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-07-24T13:35:35Z)
• Securing the Open RAN Infrastructure: Exploring Vulnerabilities in Kubernetes Deployments [60.51751612363882]
  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.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-05-03T07:18:45Z)
• 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)
• Penetration Testing of 5G Core Network Web Technologies [53.89039878885825]
  We present the first security assessment of the 5G core from a web security perspective. We use the STRIDE threat modeling approach to define a complete list of possible threat vectors and associated attacks. Our analysis shows that all these cores are vulnerable to at least two of our identified attack vectors.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-03-04T09:27:11Z)
• 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)
• Smart Fuzzing of 5G Wireless Software Implementation [4.1439060468480005]
  We introduce a comprehensive approach to bolstering the security, reliability, and comprehensibility of OpenAirInterface5G (OAI5G) We employ AFL++, a powerful fuzzing tool, to fuzzy-test OAI5G with respect to its configuration files rigorously. Secondly, we harness the capabilities of Large Language Models such as Google Bard to automatically decipher and document the meanings of parameters within the OAI5G that are used in fuzzing.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-22T16:45:42Z)
• ESASCF: Expertise Extraction, Generalization and Reply Framework for an Optimized Automation of Network Security Compliance [0.11249583407496218]
  Vulnerability assessment (VA) and Penetration Testing (PT) are widely adopted methods to identify security gaps and anticipate security breaches. Despite the use of autonomous tools and systems, security compliance remains highly repetitive and resources consuming. This paper proposes a novel method to tackle the ever-growing problem of efficiency and effectiveness in network infrastructures security auditing.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-07-20T15:51:23Z)
• 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)

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.