Demystifying Privacy in 5G Stand Alone Networks

Ensuring user privacy remains critical in mobile networks, particularly with the rise of connected devices and denser 5G infrastructure. Privacy concerns have persisted across 2G, 3G, and 4G/LTE networks. Recognizing these concerns, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has made privacy enhancements in 5G Release 15. However, the extent of operator adoption remains unclear, especially as most networks operate in 5G Non Stand Alone (NSA) mode, relying on 4G Core Networks. This study provides the first qualitative and experimental comparison between 5G NSA and Stand Alone in real operator networks, focusing on privacy enhancements addressing top 8 pre-5G attacks based on recent academic literature. Also, it evaluates the privacy levels of OpenAirInterface, a leading open-source software for 5G, against real network deployments for the same attacks, revealing two new 5G privacy vulnerabilities, and underscoring the need for further studies and stricter standards.