Developing “Capture the Flag” for 5G IoT Cyber Security Training

Fifth Generation cellular data systems (5G) are critical infrastructure that deliver IoT, mobile, and broadband services. They have high security demands and complex architectures. Despite the importance of these systems, there is relatively little hands-on training available for 5G engineers and security practitioners. To address this gap, this paper explores the development and implementation of a 5 G network training environment in the form of a Capture the Flag game, wherein teams compete to solve 5G hacking challenges on virtual 5G infrastructure. Our system includes open sourc 5G components, an open source Capture the Flag game engine, and a new game mechanism to facilitate packet-injection challenges against both external and internal interfaces of the 5G system. We outline the design of the system and present progress towards developing 5 G challenges aligned to the MITRE FiGHT threat framework.