Could 5G mobile broadband increase the severity of cyber attacks?

Fifth generation (5G) mobile broadband is capable of connecting smart devices all over the world, helping to make our lives easier - it will even help control streetlights, thermostats, sprinkler systems, and many other everyday devices.

On the other hand, with an estimated 25 billion Internet of Things (IoT) connections by 2025, security experts have warned us about an increase in the number and severity of cyber attacks.

Jeremy Fleming, the director of the GCHQ, has stated that 5G connections could “bring risks that, if unchecked, could make us more vulnerable to terrorists, hostile states and serious criminals”.

Talking about protecting ourselves from cyber attacks, Mr Fleming also explained that “It’s also increasingly clear that as the world becomes evermore networked, we need to work even harder with businesses, technology companies, academia, and privacy groups to protect the public from real-world and online harm”.

So, to put the answer simply: Yes, 5G mobile broadband will make cyber attacks more likely and increase their severity. However, this is only if we allow ourselves to be susceptible to cyber attacks. As long as we’re well educated on how to defend ourselves from these attacks, the new technology should not be a problem!

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