Palo Alto steps up efforts to secure private 5G networks

Deployment of private 5G enterprise networks is on the rise, and concerns about security are on the uptick, too. The architecture of a private 5G network is complex, and it can open up a much larger attack surface than other wireless technologies.

To safeguard enterprise 5G deployments, Palo Alto Networks is partnering with a range of vendors to offer integrated security products and services.

Private 5G networks can bring tremendous efficiency, but protecting them can be challenging to organizations of all sizes, said Anand Oswal, senior vice president and general manager with Palo Alto. “The private 5G network architecture gets increasingly complex the more it connects with devices, networks and services such as IT, OT, IoT. That attack surface can bring new threat vectors and require new end-to-end security management systems,” Oswal said.

Organizations can struggle to manage all the enforcement points across their radio, roaming, and internet infrastructure, he said. “How do you do it across all threat vectors – from command and control connections, from DNS exploits, from ransomware, malware, data, leakages, etc.?” Oswald said. 

In private 5G environments, as much as 90% of threats are occurring through devices such as laptops that are moved around a lot, or through sensors and other IoT devices that are not actively managed, Palo Alto has found. “As customers digitize their operations, [we want to] make sure security is part of the plan from the start and not bolted on afterwards,” Oswal said.

To that end, Palo Alto is developing an ecosystem of vendors that will integrate their own security technologies with Palo Alto’s private 5G security package to offer more comprehensive protection. The vendors that are working with Palo Alto so far include:

• Nvidia: To secure AI-based applications in private 5G networks, Palo Alto is combining its Intelligent Traffic Offload (ITO) technology and Virtual Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW) with the NVIDIA BlueField data processing unit (DPU) to improve the volume of threat inspection while reducing infrastructure costs. Palo Alto’s upcoming 5G security gateway solution provides security at scale by encrypting traffic between many connected things and data center networks, Oswal said.  
• Celona: A new partnership with 5G-LAN security specialist Celona brings zero-trust security to private 4G and 5G wireless networks. The vendors’ integrated package offers visibility and secure access for enterprise devices connected over private 5G cellular infrastructure.
• NetScout: Palo Alto and NetScout have partnered to offer end-through-end service visibility, which is critical to assuring customer experience while monetizing device and end-user behavior, Oswal said.

Other vendors developing integrated private 5G security offerings with Palo Alto include NTT Data, Druid and Ataya. Palo Alto also recently partnered with UScellular to offer zero trust-based 5G security services.