Pilot 5: Thwarting Attacks Against O-RAN and Virtualized 6G Infrastructure

This pilot examines the security of O-RAN architecture and virtualized 6G infrastructures, addressing challenges such as securing cloud and edge applications, preventing lateral movement of attackers, safeguarding software supply chains, and mitigating denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. The goal is to ensure comprehensive protection for the virtualized 6G infrastructure in a dynamic, highly distributed environment.

Pilot 5 aims to test the XTRUST-6G components on the general O-RAN architecture with several scenarios that will be based on, and extend as needed, the O-RAN threat model; this includes the fronthaul, right after the O-RAN radio unit (O-RU), up to the higher-level functions of the SMO framework. This pilot ensures that no fundamental cyber-security requirements of O-RAN systems, no matter how basic, are left outside the scope of XTRUST-6G. The major patterns are: exploitation of cloud/edge application vulnerabilities, attacker’s lateral movement, insecure software development practices (leading to further exploitable application vulnerabilities), and DoS attack opportunities considered from multiple points (both internal and external) of the O-RAN system. 

The objectives of Pilot 5 are: 

    • Secure the O-RAN system against internal/external attempts to exploit cloud/edge application vulnerabilities.  
    • Contain lateral movement through rapid intrusion detection and zero-touch security orchestration. Secure the software supply chain of cloud/edge applications to reduce their attack surface.  
    • Detect and mitigate DoS and other prominent attacks against critical O-RAN components and interfaces. 

For the needs of Pilot 5, Iquadrat’s 5G testbed (Rel-16 in standalone mode) will be used. An end-to end SDN/NFV compliant architecture, implemented with its own local cloud (OpenStack and Kubernetes) and 5G gNBs (O-RAN compliant), as well as, NFV and security orchestration capabilities. Supported UEs include off-the shelf 5G smartphones, 5G CPEs and Raspberry PI-based UEs with a 5G HAT. To further implement the XTRUST 6G pilots, Iquadrat’s testbed will be extended to fully support and comply with the latest O-RAN 7.2 specifications.  

O-RAN architecture and virtualized 6G infrastructures