Cybersecurity is top of mind for IT/OT professionals and C-level decision-makers, and rightfully so. Mission-critical infrastructure and services are at constant risk in an ever-expanding threat environment. Current geopolitical unrest and a major uptick in cybercriminals targeting supply chains have exposed how cybercrime can bring segments of manufacturing, banking, transportation, telecommunications and even entire governments to their knees with costly and crippling service shutdowns. Cybercrime horror stories abound, whether in the form of major data breaches that erode customer confidence, expensive ransomware payouts or plummeting business productivity. All of this comes as enterprises are expanding their technology footprint to automate and modernize their operations – leaving many to wonder about additional risk. Private wireless networks are still a relatively new technology, so there are many questions surrounding implementation. Alongside staffing and cost control, the story most people want to talk about is “Is private 5G safe?”

That’s certainly a fair question, given the ugly results of cybercrime.

Security should always be top of mind regarding any network, and since private 5G is considered a safer alternative to Wi-Fi and public mobile networks, let’s take a closer look at what makes it the preferred network backbone for today’s business-critical applications.

Major Threats to Wireless Networks and Infrastructure

Public wireless networks come under frequent attack from bad actors. The most common types are packet sniffing, spoofing, distributed denial of service (DDoS), Wi-Fi jamming, encryption cracking, man-in-the-middle attacks, Wi-Fi phishing/evil twins and rogue access points.

Just recently, T-Mobile, a U.S.-based public mobile cellular carrier with more than 110 million customers, experienced its second major breach in less than two years when hackers stole the names, phone numbers and birth dates of approximately 37 million account holders. A few years earlier, this same company lost similarly sensitive information belonging to 7.8 million current customers and 40 million prospective customers through a massive data leak.

Attacks frequently target other forms of critical infrastructure, such as airlines and airports. In February 2023, the Scandinavian airline SAS was hit with a major cyberattack that froze its website and reportedly caused its app to leak sensitive customer information. That same month, seven airports across Germany fell victim to a large-scale DDoS attack, including those in the cities of Nuremberg, Dortmund and Dusseldorf, causing their websites to go down.

It only takes one user on a connected device to open a seemingly innocent email link, infect an entire network and access data from thousands of devices. Malware distribution, malicious hotspots and unencrypted (or improperly encrypted) networks are all problems we see with Wi-Fi, which is notoriously easy to access.

Why is Private 5G Security Superior?

As the name implies, private 5G networks provide secure connectivity for business or operational services within a specific area like a warehouse, factory or airport. The most secure private networks are built completely at the customer’s site and all data remains behind the enterprise firewall – reducing the risks of intersecting with public networks.

Unlike Wi-Fi, private 5G networks use highly managed wireless spectrum and are built on 4G/5G security standards for authentication, tunneling and data encryption. Since these networks aren’t accessible to the public, they’re much less vulnerable to security threats. This makes them an excellent solution for manufacturing facilities leveraging IoT, critical infrastructure such as airports, and organizations like financial institutions, government agencies and hospitals that need to protect sensitive data.

Both public and private 5G networks offer similar benefits – fast and reliable coverage, low latency and network slicing for increased security. However, unlike public networks, truly private networks are specifically geared toward a limited locale with much greater user access control for enhanced privacy and flexibility.

What to Consider When Deploying Private 5G

Since all enterprises are seeking lower cost, better control and higher security (especially around automation) when considering a private 5G network, there are a few things to think about before embarking on this journey. The most obvious is making sure you have a compelling business use case and determining if your existing connectivity can support it. Whether automating your entire operations or testing the IoT waters, private 5G networks can provide the connectivity you need and the flexibility you want.

Once you’ve decided to deploy a private 5G network, think about whether you have the resources to build and maintain it yourself or if you’d rather let a managed service provider handle the details. New “as-a-service” models allow businesses to hand off the responsibility for design, installation, and management to an independent provider that monitors network performance and security.

Private networks should be built using CBRS-licensed and managed spectrum to avoid charges for every bit of data from every device. They should also be on-premises so the data remains under enterprise control. They should be designed for zero-trust from the ground up – completely isolated from the IT network using encrypted channels to further minimize risk. Finally, network providers should offer 24×7 management that monitors performance and traffic patterns and performs vulnerability scans to trigger an appropriate enterprise response.

Whether an enterprise chooses to construct its own private 5G network or to have a managed service provider build and maintain it, the security, privacy and flexibility offered by private 5G is far superior to Wi-Fi or public cellular services. That’s why it’s quickly becoming the preferred choice for enterprises, whether they’re involved in critical infrastructure or seeking to protect the most sensitive user data. It’s the smart choice to defend against today’s growing cyberthreats and to future-proof them for what may come tomorrow.