COURSE SYNOPSIS:

This course provides a high-level overview of the 5G Core with a focus on cybersecurity implications in modern telecommunication networks. It examines key 5G characteristics and how virtualization and cloud-native design expand the network attack surface while also enabling stronger security controls.

Learners will explore security considerations around Network Function Virtualization (NFV), including isolation, trust boundaries, and orchestration risks. The course highlights how network slicing and DNNs affect segmentation, access control, and policy enforcement, and how misconfigurations can lead to cross-slice or data exposure risks.

Why This Skills Matter?

To understand how to protect against hackers harming the Telecommunication network, we first need to know what are the potential setup which leads to attack surface. This fundamental course therefore becomes crucial for the engineer to have a deeper understanding from a cyber perspective, emphasizing edge security challenges such as distributed attack surfaces, latency-driven trade-offs, and the need for monitoring and incident response closer to the user. Overall, the course equips participants with a concise understanding of how the 5G Core architecture influences threat models, security design, and cyber defense strategies.

Entry requirements

• Min. 3 GCE ‘O’ Level Passes or WPL Level 5

• Basic computer skills

• Min. 1 year of work experience

As telecom networks transition to 5G, the threat landscape changes fundamentally. 5G is no longer a closed, hardware-centric environment; it is a software-defined, cloud-native, and highly distributed system. For cybersecurity professionals, this course is important because it bridges the gap between traditional IT/OT security knowledge and telecom-native architectures that now underpin critical national and enterprise infrastructure.

COURSE DURATION:

• 3 days of Instructor-led training

EXPECTATION AFTER THE TRAINING

• Actively relate concepts to real-world scenarios: Apply 5G Core concepts to practical environments such as SOC operations, incident response, critical infrastructure protection, or enterprise and government use cases.

• Participate in architectural discussions: Be open to discussing how design choices in NFV, network slicing, DNNs, and MEC influence security posture, isolation, and operational resilience.

• Adopt a cross-domain mindset: Recognize that 5G security spans telecom, cloud, IT, and edge environments, and be willing to connect concepts across these traditionally separate domains..

WHAT WILL BE COVERED IN THE COURSE:

5G Overview

• Evolution of the 5G Network

• 5G Services and Their Role in Telco’s Offerings (eMBB, URLLC, mMTC)

• Fundamentals of Wireless and Cellular Communications

• From 4G to 5G: Architectural Shifts

• 5G Standalone (SA) Architecture

• 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) Architecture

5G Core within a Telecommunication Network

• Key Characteristics of 5G

• Network Function Virtualization (NFV)

• Network Slicing vs. Data Network Names (DNN)

• Mobile Edge Computing (MEC)

5G Components

• Reference Point Architecture

• The general 5 Layers of a Telco Network

• Control Plane Interface and User Plane Interface

• Key Components and how they work together (UPF, PCF, AUSF, AMF, SMF)

Introduction of Protocols

• Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI)

• Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI)

• International Mobile Subscriber Identify (IMSI)

• International Mobile Equipment Identify (IMEI)