OIC-CERT 5G Security WG completes the new 5G Security Framework

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The OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group (WG) has announced the completion of the basic OIC-CERT 5G Security Framework less than eight months after the effort was established, marking a significant milestone. The Framework consists of a 5G security risk repository, a 5G security baseline technical definition, and a cross-recognition assurance methodology, which is presently in the hands of the OIC-CERT.

The OIC-CERT (Organization of Islamic Cooperation-Computer Emergency Response Team) is a forum for sharing information and building cybersecurity skills for members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) community. It is a member of the OIC’s Affiliate Institutions. Cybersecurity Malaysia, the OIC-CERT permanent secretariat, and Huawei UAE, an OIC-CERT commercial member, are leading the OIC-CERT 5G Security WG.

Eng. Badar Ali Al-Salehi, the Chairman of the OIC-CERT said, “It has been eluded on many platforms and occasions that the only way to solve the ever increasing cybersecurity challenge is through collaboration. The OIC-CERT 5G Security working group affirms this viewpoint and we are seeing remarkable progress in addressing some of the security concerns around 5G in general.”

Meanwhile, Ts Dato Dr Amiruddin Abdul Wahab, CEO of CyberSecurity Malaysia, is in the opinion that, “5G is another disruptive technology that all parties have no choice but to embrace it. The OIC-CERT has overcome a major hurdle by defining the requirements in this Framework for the OIC community and could not have come at a more opportune time as 5G matures worldwide”.

Ts Mohd Shamir bin Hashim, SVP for International & Government Engagement Division of Cybersecurity Malaysia and Co-chair of OIC-CERT 5G Security Working Group said: “Our objective was to develop a set of guiding principles for the OIC-CERT members on how to address the emerging 5G security threat. Thanks to the support of the WG members and my co-chair,Huawei Dubai. we have delivered.”

A meeting between the co-chairs and the OIC-CERT secretariat team is scheduled for February 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, at which the WG work plan for the year 2022 will be finalised and announced shortly after the meeting. The workplan will cover the promotion and implementation of the 5G Security Framework within the OIC community, as well as the technical work that will be required to improve the Framework. Due to 5G’s evolving technological improvements and new application scenarios, the document is still a work in progress, but there are plans to give a technical presentation of the OIC5G Security Framework at the GISEC in Dubai in March 2022, bringing the initiative full circle since the WG’s formation was also announced at the same event in 2021.

The arrival of 5G signals the start of a new age of digital revolution. However, due of the greatly larger attack surface, this improvement brings new dangers and weaknesses. Adopting IoT, for example, will introduce new difficulties such as cyber and physical system security, safety, and robustness. As a result, there is a pressing need to improve cybersecurity measures in proportion to the threats posed by digital technological advancements. Cross-border coordination is more important than ever in combating cyber threats, and this is especially true for the OIC, which has 57 member states scattered across four continents, a problem made more difficult by the countries’ varying levels of ICT usage.