Privacy security

Stingray spying: 5G will protect you against surveillance attacks, say standards-setters

5G mobile connectivity is just around the corner. But while it promises improved support for the growing Internet of Things and help for mobile operators coping with increasing data demands, it also brings significant security risks.

5G networks will involve more players than current networks do; the Internet of Things will provide many more juicy targets than are out there today; and the big data that's generated could have serious privacy implications.

However, it's increasingly likely that 5G will provide a privacy boost in at least one regard, by making obsolete the fake mobile base stations -- known as IMSI catchers or stingrays -- that law enforcement agencies sometimes use to spy on people's phones and, by extension, their owners.

Network equipment giant Ericsson was talking about this in mid-2017, but it now seems that its proposals to the 3GPP standards-setting body are moving forward.