Understanding 5G – The backbone of the industrial Internet

A data-driven "fourth industrial revolution" has long been predicted. Now, the backbone for that platform is finally becoming a reality. The long-promised benefits of cyber-physical industrial systems are within sight.

The year 2019 will be remembered as the year that true cellular connectivity for the Internet of Things (IoT) finally got going. Nowadays not a week goes by without a new announcement of a new 4G NB-IoT / LTE-M network rollout. Yet the future for industry is already racing towards the fifth generation (5G) of wireless communication technology.

5G promises lightning-fast speed, barely noticeable latency (or communication response time) and vastly increased capacity. All four major U.S. carriers have green-lighted test networks and partial implementations in some cities.

The benefits of marrying the physical world with digital technologies have been discussed for what seems like a generation. Many industries could use the intelligence gleaned from connected systems to gain critical insights about their operations and how to make improvements that will make a genuine difference to their bottom line. While 4G is already creating dramatic improvements for industries around the world, it’s 5G that’s creating the greater buzz.

Data alone is not enough

Jani Vilenius, Director of Research and Technology at Sandvik, says that data is already driving industry around the world: “Everyone is already collecting, and to a certain extent using data. But improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value. When we add more Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and voice/image recognition into everyday systems, the bandwidth requirements mean 5G is inevitable to leverage the new capabilities.”

Industry 4.0 was supposed to bring about these benefits, but up until now there’s been a crucial element missing. Turning the idea of a collaborative, adaptive, real-time industrial digital system into a reality needs a truly agile communications infrastructure.

Beyond incremental improvement

You can be forgiven for thinking the move from 4G to 5G is merely about incremental speed improvements, with little need for all the hype. After all, the 4G/LTE (Long Term Evolution) communications architecture of today has hooked up approximately 3 billion mobile devices.

But in truth, the difference between 4G and 5G is not like comparing one iPhone model with the next, it’s more like comparing a horse and buggy to an electric race car.

Yes, 3G and 4G technology is most often equated with smartphones. That’s because the systems were designed for voice and mobile data respectively. And while it’s true that 5G’s dramatic speed increases will mean so much more than just higher-quality streaming and lightning quick downloads, the fact that it’s been designed from the ground up for data connectivity will be the game changer.

Faster connectivity and low-to-no latency will unlock operational benefits in every industry on the planet. Up until now there has been only talk, but with test systems now in place, those operational benefits are becoming clear.

Taking the connected factory to the next level

In a market reliant on data-intensive machine applications, the higher speeds and low latency of 5G is required for the effective use of autonomous robotics technology, wearables and virtual reality.

Unlike previous jumps in levels of technology in industry, 5G won’t fundamentally redesign the production line. But what it will do is offer manufacturers an opportunity to build smart factories that can adapt to changing market conditions.

The increasing capabilities of smart devices and the factories that make them won’t just impact competition within a set industry. As competition shifts from product-based to system-based, formerly clear industry boundaries will be blurred. Traditional manufacturing companies may soon find they are competing as part of a much broader automation industry, for example.

Healthcare: Enabling remote surgery

The low latency of 5G is set to revolutionize the healthcare industry, most notably in the operating theater. Experienced surgeons can advise more junior colleagues via a video connection or could even operate the surgical device remotely. You could be forgiven for thinking this sounds unlikely, yet it’s already happened.

In early 2019, the world’s first live surgery via remote assistance took place successfully in China. An experienced surgeon inserted a stimulation device in the brain of a Parkinson's patient. The almost instantaneous latency of 2 milliseconds allowed the surgeon to accurately conduct the procedure as if they were right next to the patient, whereas in fact they were 3,000 kilometers away. The latency resembles surgery using a traditional cabled monitor solution.

Autonomous technology on the road and underground

The improvements to network latency will give applications and devices the ability to communicate in close-to real-time. This should ease the safety concerns of autonomous vehicles, providing them the ability to constantly communicate with the ever-changing environment around them.

This of course will have significant impact on mining operations, something Sandvik is aware of. Already, Sandvik has signed an agreement with Nokia to further develop solutions based on private LTE and 5G technology, much of which will take place at the Sandvik test mine in Tampere, Finland.

“Our focus to date has been on private LTE technology, which offers speed, latency, reliability and privacy benefits over Wi-Fi. It’s one of the technologies our customers are asking for now,” explains Vilenius. The benefit to Sandvik in focusing on LTE is simple. (LTE stands for Long-term Evolution and isn’t as much a technology as it is the path followed to achieve 4G speeds). 

Customer demand is there, and the hardware can easily be upgraded to 5G when the time comes.

"Improved connectivity is needed to truly utilize the data and add business value"

That’s because 5G will be used to augment and enhance existing LTE networks rather than replace them. Even so, telecommunications companies are facing a substantial investment. But rather than holding back the rollout, that very fact could speed things up.

Management consulting firm McKinsey & Company believes that the trend of network sharing will accelerate, decreasing what would otherwise be a daunting cost of 5G implementation. Network sharing enables operators to reduce the total cost of ownership while improving network quality by sharing both active and passive equipment. “Simulations from one case showed that by sharing 5G small-cell deployment and building a common, nationwide 5G IoT macro layer, operators could reduce 5G-related investments by more than 40 percent,” said a spokesperson.

Researching the business models of the future

In addition to the Sandvik test mine, Finland is also the home for significant research. Aalto University’s Industrial Internet Campus is a cross-disciplinary platform that provides a testbed for future solutions for industrial partners including Sandvik’s partner Nokia.

Project areas include intelligent construction sites, energy usage optimization in smart buildings, and the factory of the future. The 5G meets Industrial Internet (5G@II) project looks at how to provide a cost-effective, globally secure and secure foundation for a future 5G-driven industrial internet. Specifically, the team aims to create a blueprint of a 5G service management system by trialing it on real industrial use cases.

The Journey to 5G

• 2G: Enabled wireless telephone calls
• 3G: Enabled the mobile web
• 4G: Enabled video streaming and apps that require sustained connectivity
• 5G: The post-smartphone era of mobile connectivity

The backbone of the 5G standard is comprised of low-, mid- and high-band spectrum. There are two frequencies that 5G networks can operate on: sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave (20-60 GHz).

Carriers were already using sub-6 spectrum for existing LTE networks, and now they need more of it to build out 5G. Millimeter-wave frequency was previously unused, and the advent of 5G has given carriers access to the spectrum that will enable the faster speeds we expect with the new standard.

Source: https://www.home.sandvik/en/stories/articles/2019/10/understanding-5g-the-backbone-of-the-industrial-internet/

Keyboard Idol contestant Chris Afelete Tamakloe laid to rest

Sorrow gripped the hundreds of mourners who gathered at the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church at Ho-Bankoe in the Volta Region on Saturday, October 17, 2020, to pay their last respects to late Citi TV, Keyboard Idol contestant, Chris Afelete Tamakloe.

The burial and memorial mass was honoured by family members, school mates, church members, loved ones, fans, friends and sympathizers.

In attendance to mourn with the bereaved family were management and staff of Citi FM and Citi TV.

 The solemn church service was followed by the interment at the Ho public cemetery.

Deputy Head of programs at Citi FM and Citi TV, Ranstina Opare-Saforo, who read a tribute on behalf of the media organisation, described Chris as a God-fearing, wise and gifted young boy.

Chris, 13 died on Saturday, September 19, 2020, after a vehicle in which he and his father were travelling was involved in a road accident, at Asutsuare Junction.

This was after they were returning to Ho after an episode of the talent competition on that fateful day

One passenger in the minibus died on the spot, while Chris – and other passengers – were initially rushed to the Dodowa District Hospital and later transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, where Chris, unfortunately, passed away.

Chris is survived by his parents and two younger sisters.

As one of the star performers of the show, management of Citi TV, as well as judges and contestants of the show last Saturday paid tribute to Chris with a special edition of the show, which was themed ‘Celebration of life’.

This was followed by a series of tributes and performances by the 8 remaining Keyboard Idol contestants in memory of their departed friend.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Social Engineering; The Greatest Catalyst for Successful Cyber Attacks

Social Engineering (SE) is the process of deceiving an individual or a group of people to take a certain action(s) or disclose sensitive information in favour of the perpetrator. According to Atkins and Huang (2013), SE is the exploitation of human psychological weaknesses by scammers to attack innocent individuals.

SE can either occur in-person (face-to-face), via phone calls (vishing), emails (phishing), text messages (smishing), or social media platforms. According to Abass (2018), Social Engineers utilize diverse mechanisms in sharing malicious software in obtaining information, defraud, or gain unauthorized access to information systems.

The main motivation of Social Engineers is to obtain sensitive information, install malware, financially defraud victims, or have specific actions taken in their favour.

According to EY (2018), 550 million emails were sent out by a single phishing campaign during the 1st quarter of 2018. SE has become the number one top cyber threat to organizations.

Over 90 percent of successful hacks and data breaches are as a result of phishing (Cybersecurity Ventures, 2019). SE generally involves less investment and low technology to be successful, hence perpetrators are enthused to use this medium to achieve their malicious goals.

In the study of Atkins & Huang (2013), the top 3 triggers used in phishing emails to raise the attention of the recipients “were: alert, warning, attention; verification of account; and invalid login attempts”. They further stated that the top 3 persuasion techniques used in phishing emails were authority, politeness, and urgency. Also, the top three triggers used in advance fee e-mails to raise the attention of recipients were: Nigeria 419 funds, business proposal & winning of lottery. The use of authoritative and emotional persuasions by Social Engineers is able to convince victims to lose concentration on SE attacks. The attitude of believing what people say continues to expose users to SE attacks.

According to Flores (2016), the following factors significantly influence employees’ resilience to SE: trust, risky behaviors, general information security awareness, security and computer knowledge, intention, and target-related information. He mentions that national culture has a substantial effect on the information security behavior of employees and determines their SE security behaviors.

In the study of Sheng et al (2010), 90% of persons who click on phishing links will proceed to share information with the perpetrator(s). 57% of people who had previously received anti-phishing training fell for 40% of phishing during the role play, whilst people who had not received previous anti-phishing training fell for 60% of phishing. They conclude that men are less vulnerable to phishing attacks than women because men have more technical knowledge and training than women. Individuals from the ages of 18 to 25 are also more vulnerable to phishing attacks because, they are less educated and trained, have fewer years in Internet usage, and are not risk-averse. Also, participants who received training fell for 28% of phishing messages after the training. This suggests, education is essential to combat phishing, but it is not the ultimate solution.

There are several ways to protect ourselves against all forms of SE attacks. The following non-technical and cost-effective measures; can help prevent and reduce SE attacks.

• Continuous awareness is the cheapest and the most effective way of combating SE attacks. Irrespective of the expensive technical tools and controls implemented by organizations, lack of continuous staff awareness can totally ruin all the colossal investments made in securing information.
• Extreme caution should be taken before opening e-mails or messages from senders you do not know.
• Extreme caution should be taken when clicking on links in e-mail, social media, or text messages unless you are convinced about it.
• Do not respond to suspected messages either through e-mail, social media, SMS, or phone calls.
• Beware of whom you share information with, either face to face or electronically.
• Organizations need to formulate, implement, and strictly enforce information security policies with emphasis on SE.
• At the national level, enacting and enforcing stringent laws or regulations against SE can also help fight the menace.

To ensure the fight against SE is successfully won, it is extremely important to understand SE and map up strategies to secure information in various spheres: personal, organizational, national, and international levels. The literature reviewed in this article, and the non-technical and cost-effective recommendations provided can help achieve this to a very large extent.

Author:

Sherrif Issah – IT GRC Consultant | PCI-QSA | Trainer @ Digital Jewels Ltd | Member, Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana.

For comments, contact author mysherrif@gmail.com | Mobile: +233243835912