Nokia aims to take a bite out of cyber crime with the launch of a new Dallas-based end-to-end 5G testing lab, which the Finnish company says is the first cybersecurity testing lab of its kind.
Called Advanced Security Testing and Research, or ASTaR for short, the lab expects to go beyond looking at individual network elements and focus on the larger context of network use and abuse scenarios.
There are some elements of 5G that make it particularly vulnerable to hackers and other nefarious activity, according to Nokia, and that includes the extensive use of open-source software and large-scale use of 5G in a variety of industries.
As the central lab dedicated solely to security forensics and research, ASTaR will use and develop “cutting-edge tools and techniques” to assess the security resilience of 5G networks, as well as their associated software, hardware and applications, the company said.
“To demonstrate our leadership and commitment to security, Nokia will be the first to inaugurate a lab in the U.S. with the singular mission of identifying and preventing cybersecurity attacks. ASTaR lab will be an ideal testing ground to assess security in the larger context of network use and abuse scenarios,” said Nishant Batra, chief strategy and technology officer at Nokia, in a statement.
Nokia will share its cybersecurity knowledge with operator, enterprise and government customers. In addition, the company expects to partner with customers to consider attack scenarios against networks and observe how security measures will fare against real security incursions.
ASTaR lab will be staffed by U.S.-based specialists in cybersecurity; it will also have the ability to leverage the security research capabilities of Nokia Bell Labs.
Nokia’s Dallas office also features the Executive Experience Center, Energy Innovation Center, O-RAN Collaboration and Testing Center, Cloud Collaboration Hub and Nokia Services Lab.