The rise of 5G

Indoors

Via Wifi, we connectto the Internet indoors. More and more indoor devices are also connected via Wifi connection. Think of a smart TV, a Chromecast, Apple TV, a NAS server, etc. But home automation systems are also often connected to the Internet via Wifi, allowing you to set them up from the outside. That poses a lot of security risks.

Thousands of building management systems in "smart" homes and offices worldwide are easily accessible to hackers. So concludes an ethical hacker from Computest based on a security study of the KNX standard for home and building automation. The study shows that systems based on this standard are frequently connected to the Internet. However, because these systems lack any form of authentication, attackers can use them to remotely control the security, lighting, air conditioning and heating of homes and offices. There are a total of 17,444 buildings with systems based on the KNX standard, 1,322 of which are in the Netherlands. This makes the Netherlands the country with the third most locations vulnerable to hackers, after Germany and Spain.
- Source: https://www.computest.nl/en/news/news-and-press-releases/homes-offices-vulnerable-unsecure-domotica/

Read also: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/5-security-must-haves-for-internet-connected-consumer-products/

Outdoors

What traces does a modern citizen leave behind outside the home? What data are collected and stored from our activities outdoors? We give a few examples:

Banking transactions: Payments by smartphone or bank card
The location of your smartphone at (w)any time
Traffic checks
Parking cameras and parking sensors
Theft protection and cameras in stores
Flash cameras
Cameras in streets (generally only in cities)
Your Internet behavior outside the home
...

Faster and easier data collection via 5G

The advent of 5G will exponentially increase data collection and sharing.

5G is expected to support up to 1 million connected devices per square kilometer, compared to about 2.000 connected devices per square kilometer with 4G.

The "benefits" of 5G:

usage of higher frequencies
high bandwidth;
enhanced mobile broadband;
a lower latency of 5 ms
higher data rates, enabling new technology options over 5G networks, such as 4K streaming or near-real-time streaming of virtual reality (VR)
...

The vast amount of devices that can be connected to a 5G network will result in a huge expansion of the number of smart devices collecting data. Smart cameras, as well as cars, bicycles, smartwatches, smart glasses, smartphones, IoT devices.... can thus be connected to a matrix of interconnected devices.

Exchanging data via 5G will enable companies to optimize certain processes (such as their transportation). 5G will allow these companies to do this if desired in real time, as information speeds can increase from an average of 45Mbps (megabits per second) of the fastest current 4G mobile network to a potential 1Gbps (gigabits per second).

Risks

This, of course, also carries a lot of risks. 5G enables faster data traffic, but is not by default "more secure" than its predecessor 4G. Manufacturers and companies will be able to collect data much easier, but the challenges are twofold: how to ensure reliable and secure data capture, movement and management of all that data; and who pays for this data usage.

Governance, regulation and privacy

The introduction of GDPR legislation has made consumers more aware not only of data collection, but also of how that data is collected and what data companies are interested in. The average consumer is still open to sharing their data, as long as it's done transparently.