Security Risks in O-RAN: Vulnerabilities and Mitigation Countermeasures

Disaggregated and open radio access network architectures offer benefits such as enhanced interoperability, improved coordination between nodes, and cost reduction; however, they also introduce new security challenges related to open interfaces and distributed control mechanisms. This work focuses on analyzing vulnerabilities in one of the protocols used in these interfaces—SCTP—which facilitates communication with Radio Intelligent Controllers (RIC). The analysis centers on two specific attacks: denial of service and identity spoofing. Both attacks have been implemented and experimentally validated on the FlexRIC platform within the O-RAN architecture framework, contrasting with the predominantly theoretical approaches found in the literature. Based on these experiments, a critical evaluation of various security solutions proposed for SCTP is conducted. While some of these solutions offer partial mitigation capabilities, they present structural, operational, and compatibility limitations that affect their overall effectiveness. These findings underscore the need to adopt more modern and efficient transport protocols capable of natively integrating adequate security functions for O-RAN environments.