Telecom Security MBSS Security
All Networks
MBSS Security
Minimum Baseline Security Standard (MBSS) — the foundational security controls applied consistently across all telecom network services.
Overview
Introduction
5G is not simply a faster version of previous mobile generations. It replaces fixed, hardware-defined network elements with virtualized, software-driven functions running across distributed cloud environments. That shift brings enormous flexibility — network slicing, edge computing, massive IoT connectivity — but it also introduces attack surface that traditional telecom security testing was never designed to evaluate.
ALCON Cyber Security helps operators, enterprises deploying private 5G, and government agencies validate that their 5G architecture is secure at every layer, from Open RAN interfaces down to the network functions running inside the 5G Core.
Impact
Why This Service Matters
5G underpins services well beyond consumer mobile broadband — connected vehicles, industrial automation, smart grids, and public safety networks increasingly rely on 5G connectivity and network slicing to isolate critical workloads. A vulnerability in a shared 5G Core function or a poorly isolated network slice can cascade across multiple services and tenants simultaneously, turning a single flaw into a multi-sector incident.
Because 5G networks are built on virtualization and cloud-native principles, security testing has to evaluate software configuration, container isolation, and API exposure alongside traditional telecom protocol behavior. Operators that get this right can launch new 5G services with confidence; those that don't risk regulatory scrutiny, service disruption, and loss of enterprise customer trust.
The Landscape
Current Industry Challenges
- Cloud-native attack surface: NFV and SDN-based 5G Core deployments introduce container and orchestration-layer risks absent from legacy hardware networks.
- Network slicing isolation gaps: Misconfigured slicing can allow data or control-plane leakage between tenants sharing the same physical infrastructure.
- Open RAN interoperability risk: Multi-vendor Open RAN deployments widen the interface surface that must be tested and secured.
- New protocol exposure: Service-Based Interfaces using HTTP/2 and REST APIs introduce web-style vulnerabilities into core telecom signaling.
- Edge computing risk: MEC nodes deployed closer to end users and enterprises expand the physical and logical attack surface.
- Standards complexity: Keeping pace with evolving 3GPP and GSMA security guidance requires continuous specialist attention.
Overview
Introduction
The Minimum Baseline Security Standard (MBSS) is a critical add-on service that establishes a foundational security posture across all your telecom network layers. Before deploying advanced security features or network slicing, operators must ensure that fundamental security controls—such as encryption in transit, strict access control, and continuous vulnerability patching—are universally applied and verified.
ALCON Cyber Security maps your infrastructure against industry-leading benchmarks and regulatory requirements to guarantee your core networks meet these essential baseline standards, reducing the attack surface immediately.
Deep Dive
Specific Core Features
Unified Access Control
Implementation of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles ensuring strict identity verification across all network domains.
Encryption Standardization
Verification that all control plane and user plane traffic utilizes robust, modern cryptographic standards like TLS and IPsec.
Configuration Hardening
Systematic review of default configurations on all telecom equipment to eliminate easily exploitable gaps.
Continuous Monitoring Integration
Establishing baseline logging and SIEM correlation rules specifically tuned for telecom protocols to detect anomalies early.
Baseline Coverage
Baseline Controls by Service
How the Minimum Baseline Security Standard applies across each network domain — the architecture area on the left, the baseline controls applied to it on the right.
Architecture Review
How ALCON Reviews Your Architecture
An architecture review looks at how these baseline controls actually hold together across your network, not just whether each one is present in isolation. ALCON evaluates:
- Architecture boundaries between network domains and trust zones
- Signaling and traffic flows across interconnect and roaming paths
- Identity and access control at each layer of the network
- Placement of firewalls, filtering, and other security controls
- Monitoring and detection coverage across the environment
- Operational resilience, backup, and recovery posture
The scope and depth of a full architecture review is defined for each engagement, based on your network's specific topology, vendor mix, and regulatory environment. Talk to our specialists to define the scope for your network.
Secure Your 5G Deployment End to End
Talk to our 5G security specialists about your RAN, core, and edge architecture.
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