Exploring Digital Mobile Forensics in 5G: A Comprehensive Survey on Security, Countermeasures, and Proactive Forensic Approaches

The emergence of fifth-generation ($\mathbf{5 G}$) networks marks a transformative era in mobile and wireless communication, offering ultralow latency, increased bandwidth, enhanced scalability, and extensive connectivity. These features empower diverse applications such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, autonomous transport, and smart city systems. Despite these advancements, 5 G significantly broadens the potential attack surface by introducing vulnerabilities in both legacy infrastructure and modern components. Consequently, securing these networks has become a major challenge, as conventional cybersecurity solutions are no longer adequate. This survey investigates the primary security concerns within 5G networks, placing emphasis on digital forensics. Explores vulnerabilities across all layers of the OSI model and proposes a layered defense approach rooted in zero-trust principles. These strategies are essential to fortify the reliability and trustworthiness of $\mathbf{5 G}$ infrastructure throughout its lifecycle.