Empowering 5G by Enhancing Network Security and Performance

The Students: Tahje Joseph-Bryan ’26 and Milad Natanzi, PhD candidate, participants in the Summer Program Early Research Experience in E-Term

The Advisor: Bo Tang, associate professor in the Department Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Background: Advanced 5G networks serve as the foundation for future advancements in mobile communications. As the demand for robust network communication continues to grow, security attacks remain a significant threat.

The Process: The team used an open-source framework to simulate 5G environments to prepare for future testing of scenarios like jamming attacks on networks.

Through the Key Performance Monitor xApp, they gathered critical data on key performance indicators, such as throughput, load, and latency of user equipment (UE), to detect abnormalities in the network. This data collection enabled a detailed analysis of UE performance under various scenarios, including different network configurations and implementations.

The Results: The results offered valuable insights for optimizing 5G network deployments and highlight potential areas for further investigation in network management and security. By understanding how different configurations and network scenarios impact these KPIs, the researchers hope to contribute to the development of a more secure and efficient 5G network.

Joseph-Bryan says the project provided valuable hands-on experience. “It’s been an amazing opportunity for me. I have aspirations of entering into cybersecurity. Being part of this project serves as a foundation for me.”