Essential telecommunications play a crucial role in addressing everyone's cybersecurity issues

In the modern world, the telecommunications industry plays a pivotal role in our socioeconomic activities. However, it's important to note that malicious actors who exploit and infiltrate this environment do not adhere to the rules of infrastructure builders and maintainers.

The industry, spanning internet service providers, social media conglomerates, mobile device and computer manufacturers, and software corporations, is a common target for those seeking to interfere in these activities. The compromise of telecommunications systems has resulted in some of the largest intelligence coups in history, and it continues to pose significant public security vulnerabilities.

The top trends in telecoms over the previous year have focused on wireless communications and IT and data services, making software vulnerabilities central to malicious activity. This expanding universe, with new platforms in social media, gaming, and internet-of-things devices, provides a multitude of attack vectors.

A recent example involves an Iranian government-linked hacking group using access to telecom providers to pivot into other organizations using non-technical exploits. This incident underscores the potential devastation if telecommunications infrastructure is infiltrated, corrupted, degraded, or destroyed.

The current global information environment makes compromising communications possible on a scale never before imagined. Knowledge of message content by third parties has been a goal of nation-states and bad actors for centuries, and intercepting communications, whether through capturing riders, intercepting messengers, tapping cables, or stealing encryption keys, is not a new concept.

Individual user autonomy creates a near-infinite attack surface, making cybersecurity a yearly concern for most individuals. Proactive protection of telecommunications assets requires prioritizing defensive efforts, focusing on security maintenance, layering in defense-in-depth techniques, prioritizing threats against advanced persistent threats, and acknowledging the difficulty of user-based security.

Basic cyber hygiene is meaningless if practiced on a compromised network. A more realistic balance between users and the networks, products, and services they use is needed to counter the impacts of telecommunications compromises.

The leading companies building and operating the global telecommunications infrastructure, which face these challenges, include Orange S.A. (France’s largest telecommunications company), Deutsche Telekom (Germany’s largest telecom company), Telefónica Deutschland, Vodafone, and Magenta Telekom (owned by Deutsche Telekom in Austria).

Manipulating communication processes, such as injecting false information or degrading traffic speed, has been common throughout history. The metaverse will impact telecoms security, as it will be largely managed by the same companies that built the infrastructure.

Best practices are nearly-universal, and the industry can take many steps to better secure common platforms by making better regulatory, security, and usage choices. The universe of telecommunications is expanding, and it's crucial that these entities adapt to the evolving threats and maintain the trust of their users in the digital age.

Essential telecommunications play a crucial role in addressing everyone's cybersecurity issues