Endless Subscriptions: Open RAN is Open to RIC E2 Subscription Denial of Service Attacks

Telecommunication services are essential in ensuring the operation of numerous critical infrastructures. While mobile network security increased with the advancement of generations, emerging concepts such as the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) are transforming the traditional operation of Radio Access Networks (RANs). Novel concepts and technologies are finding their way into RANs with a focus on softwareization and virtualization. This increases the overall attack surface and introduces new attack vectors not necessarily found in traditional RANs. This paper shows that Denial of Service (DoS) attacks leveraging subscription mechanisms can compromise O-RAN implementations. We present a novel DoS attack targeting the Near Real-Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC). By deploying a malicious xApp, we demonstrate how an adversary can flood the Near-RT RIC with excessive subscription requests, leading to service disruption. This attack exploits the lack of rate-limiting mechanisms within the Service Model (SM), a critical component of the Near-RT RIC responsible for handling E2 subscription requests. We systematically evaluate various attack scenarios and investigate the underlying vulnerabilities exposed. Furthermore, we propose and assess countermeasures to safeguard publicly accessible O-RAN systems from such threats.