Cloud-Native Telecom: The Integration and Security of 5G in Public Cloud Environments

The advent of 5G technology has been marked by its inherent compatibility with cloud computing, leveraging Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) to seamlessly integrate into cloud environments. Nowadays, Telco operators need to be more adaptable than ever and respond quickly in changes in requirements and conditions. The deployment of 5G core functionality into the public cloud domain brings about many benefits, such as increased flexibility and scalability. Additionally, the resources available through major cloud providers, in terms of compute, storage, and networking, substantially surpass what most telecommunications operators can offer. Moreover, by adopting public cloud solutions, telecommunications operators can access a wide array of services, facilitating the enablement of Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Industrial IoT, and automation technologies. This will enable Telco operators to expand their traditional role of communication providers into the realm of service providers. However, despite the many benefits enabled by public cloud deployments, exposing the 5G core to the public cloud also brings new vulnerabilities and challenges. First, the introduction of public cloud will require solutions tailored to each particular cloud provider, leading to an increase in complexity, from which many new vulnerabilities can arise. Moreover, involving cloud providers introduces concerns over data sovereignty, privacy, and regulatory compliance, especially concerning data storage locations. Another concern is that bringing 5G services into the public cloud could exacerbate any pre-existing vulnerabilities in terms of software, virtualization, or API security, necessitating new and robust security measures. Thus, in our thesis, we will aim to answer the following questions: 1. What are the most important vulnerabilities brought about by the deployment of 5G functionality into the open cloud, particularly concerning software, virtualization, orchestration and API? Additionally, what are the potential regulatory issues that might arise from public cloud deployments? 2. How significant are the risks posed by these vulnerabilities, and what are the feasible safeguards against them, including their associated costs? Which 5G core functions can be deployed to the public cloud without compromising security, ensuring a favorable balance between risk and cost?