My latest tech and business articles
Can we afford to keep ignoring Open RAN security?
I’m skeptical of ‘futurists’. Work closely enough with the development of technology solutions and you’ll know that the only certain thing about the future is that it’s constantly changing. For example, few ‘futurists’ predicted the Covid-19 outbreak that brought the world to a standstill in 2020. Many, however, had...
Introducing Society 5.0
Self-help authors and politicians seem to agree on at least one thing: mindset matters. The shelves of bookstores worldwide are awash with motivational books by evangelical writers hoping to convert readers to their gospel of optimism. The central thesis is simple: success depends on approaching life, especially its challenges,...
Securing Society 5.0 – Overcoming the hidden threats in society’s greatest evolutionary leap
A term first coined by the Japanese government, “Society 5.0” describes "A human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space." The fifth evolution of the society, enabled by the fifth generation of cellular networking and...
A Comparison of 5G Core Network Architectures
The 5G Core network is a Service Based Architecture. It evolves the traditional appliance based 4G Core Network to support services. It offers more agility and flexibility.
The major building blocks of this architecture include
Service-Based Interface: The Service Based Interfaces rely on HTTP/2
The 5G Network Functions: As explained...
Open RAN May Be the Future of 5G, but Can We Keep It Secure?
It's been a year of contradictions for the telecommunications industry.
Like most sectors, it has been heavily impacted by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, with a slowdown in global 5G roll-outs being a notable result. Geopolitical conflicts have continued to muddy the market, with governments playing a more active...
My latest leadership and DEI articles
5G Critical Infrastructure – the Most Critical of All
Not even 30 years separate us from the end of the Cold War. Yet, we appear to be witnessing the emergence of a new one, a technology Cold War between the United States and China. This time, instead of a ‘red under the bed’, the US government has declared there is one at the back door. It accuses Chinese technology companies of deliberately building vulnerabilities into their tech, allowing the Chinese to access and control the 5G critical infrastructure, and through it the connected devices and machinery at will.
Headlines are dominated by the case against Huawei, and debate continues to rage about the legitimacy of the US’s claims. Are these well-founded or part of a more comprehensive assault on China’s growing global technology dominance? Regardless, the battle lines are...
Smart Home / Smart Building Connectivity Options and Their Cybersecurity
In a recent session on smart building cybersecurity, a student cheekily asked me "How did...
Cybersecurity and Safety in the 5G-Enabled Smart-Everything World
Neil Harbisson calls himself a cyborg. Without the antenna implanted in his skull, he would...
How Telecom Operators Can Strike Back with IoT, Fog & Cyber
Telecom operators sat back as the new over-the-top (OTT) service providers, internet and tech companies...
Can we afford to keep ignoring Open RAN security?
I’m skeptical of ‘futurists’. Work closely enough with the development of technology solutions and you’ll...
Emerging Tech Security Guidelines, Frameworks, Standards
Below is my attempt to list of all published 5G, IoT and "Smart Everything"-related security...
Regulating the Security of the Internet of Things (IoT) in a 5G World
In one of those strange inversions of reason, The Internet of Things (IoT) arguably began...
Emerging Tech Security Guidelines, Frameworks, Standards
Below is my attempt to list of all published 5G, IoT and "Smart Everything"-related security...
Risks of AI – Meeting the Ghost in the Machine
In 1956, at a workshop on the campus of Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire,...
Opportunity and Cybersecurity in the Age of 5G
The human will to innovate is seemingly relentless. The history of our species is one...
IIoT and Trust and Convenience: A Potentially Deadly Combination
When microwave ovens first arrived on the market in 1967 they were met with public...
5G Network: A Quantum Leap in Connectivity – and Cyber Threats
The timeline of human history is marked by inflection points of major technological advancement. The...
5G Critical Infrastructure – the Most Critical of All
Not even 30 years separate us from the end of the Cold War. Yet, we...
When Hackers Threaten your Life – Cyber-Kinetic Risks
The attacker stepped out from behind a hedge in the upper-class suburban neighborhood, being careful...
Growing Cyber-Kinetic Threats to Railway Systems
Cybersecuring railway systems from potential attackers must become paramount in the digitization that those systems...
The World of Cyber-Physical Systems & Rising Cyber-Kinetic Risks
We live in a world in which the way we observe and control it is radically changing. Increasingly, we interact with physical objects through the filter of what computational systems embedded in them tell us, and we adjust them based on what those systems relate.
We do this on our phones, in our cars, in our homes, in our factories and, increasingly, in our cities. Physical objects are so interconnected that we simply take those connections for granted, as if being able to unlock your car by pushing a button on your key fob, unlocking it with your phone or even by walking toward it is the way car locks always worked.
This interconnectedness offers us capabilities that exponentially exceed the expectations of science fiction writers and futurists of past generations....
Bluetooth Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)
Bluetooth is short-range wireless communications technology based on the IEEE 802.15.1 protocol. It works in...
Stuxnet: The Father of Cyber-Kinetic Weapons
While Stuxnet is gone, the world now knows what can be accomplished through cyber-kinetic attacks.
As...
Introducing Society 5.0
Self-help authors and politicians seem to agree on at least one thing: mindset matters. The...
Regulating the Security of the Internet of Things (IoT) in a 5G World
In one of those strange inversions of reason, The Internet of Things (IoT) arguably began...
Smart Home / Smart Building Connectivity Options and Their Cybersecurity
In a recent session on smart building cybersecurity, a student cheekily asked me "How did...
Emerging Tech Security Guidelines, Frameworks, Standards
Below is my attempt to list of all published 5G, IoT and "Smart Everything"-related security...
Cybersecurity of Blockchain & Blockchain for Cybersecurity
You may have heard, over the last year or two, about the new technological miracle...
Emerging Tech Security Guidelines, Frameworks, Standards
Below is my attempt to list of all published 5G, IoT and "Smart Everything"-related security...
Canadian Critical Infrastructure Cyber Protection
Targeted cyberattacks against critical infrastructure (CI) are increasing on a global scale. Critical systems are...
5G Network Slicing Technology: A Primer
Hyped as the technology that will transform the world, 5G is moving past the buzzword...
5G Network: A Quantum Leap in Connectivity – and Cyber Threats
The timeline of human history is marked by inflection points of major technological advancement. The...
Opportunity and Cybersecurity in the Age of 5G
The human will to innovate is seemingly relentless. The history of our species is one...
Cyber-Kinetic Security and Privacy Threats in Smart Cities
More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. The UN estimates that by...
Cybersecurity and Safety in the 5G-Enabled Smart-Everything World
Neil Harbisson calls himself a cyborg. Without the antenna implanted in his skull, he would...
Emerging Tech Security Guidelines, Frameworks, Standards
Below is my attempt to list of all published 5G, IoT and "Smart Everything"-related security...
Cybersecurity and Safety in the 5G-Enabled Smart-Everything World
Neil Harbisson calls himself a cyborg. Without the antenna implanted in his skull, he would not be able to see colour of any kind. Born with achromatopsia, a condition of total colourblindness that affects 1 in every 30 000 people, Harbisson's physical faculties are augmented by cyber technology to grant him access to a life of greater meaning and satisfaction.
As technological evolution leads to concomitant advances in medical science, we are seeing more and more examples of humans who are integrating devices and sensors into their biological makeup. For some, like those part of the growing "transhumanist" movement, this is a means of artistic expression or exploration of human potential. For others, it is a solution to a medical problem. Either way, it represents the most vivid and personal...
History of Cyber-Kinetic Incidents and Research
The fact that cyber-kinetic attacks rarely appear on mainstream news doesn’t mean they don’t happen....
Stuxnet and the Birth of Cyber-Kinetic Weapons and Cyber Warfare
Stuxnet was the first true cyber-kinetic weapon, designed to cripple the Iranian – and perhaps...
5G Critical Infrastructure – the Most Critical of All
Not even 30 years separate us from the end of the Cold War. Yet, we...
Cybersecurity of Blockchain & Blockchain for Cybersecurity
You may have heard, over the last year or two, about the new technological miracle...
NFC Security 101 (Non-5G IoT Connectivity Options)
NFC is a short range two-way wireless communication technology that enables simple and secure communication...
Defeating 21st Century Pirates: the Maritime Cyberattacks
The maritime industry faces a not-so-distant future when ships will be completely autonomous, using navigation...
How Telecom Operators Can Strike Back with IoT, Fog & Cyber
Telecom operators sat back as the new over-the-top (OTT) service providers, internet and tech companies...
Can we afford to keep ignoring Open RAN security?
I’m skeptical of ‘futurists’. Work closely enough with the development of technology solutions and you’ll...
5G Network Slicing Technology: A Primer
Hyped as the technology that will transform the world, 5G is moving past the buzzword...
A Comparison of 5G Core Network Architectures
The 5G Core network is a Service Based Architecture. It evolves the traditional appliance based...
Open RAN May Be the Future of 5G, but Can We Keep It Secure?
It's been a year of contradictions for the telecommunications industry.
Like most sectors, it has been...