Researchers Found 84 Flaws in 5G Network Software
The vulnerabilities affect open source 4G and 5G mobile core software and enable session hijacking in some cases.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in Cybersecurity
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Researchers at Nanyang Technological University identified 84 vulnerabilities in open source 4G and 5G mobile core network software, as detailed in a report presented in August 2026. Industry developers have confirmed 83 of these flaws, leading to 81 CVE assignments and 58 patches to date.
Why it matters
The study highlights critical security risks in the transition to software-defined, cloud-based network architectures that rely on legacy trust assumptions. These vulnerabilities expose a significant attack surface in global mobile infrastructure by allowing unauthorized redirection of network traffic.
Automated testing identified 84 vulnerabilities across platforms including Open5GS, free5GC, and OpenAirInterface by checking code against 3GPP standards. One flaw allows an attacker to hijack a subscriber session by injecting a high-priority rule to redirect uplink traffic.
The players
Nanyang Technological University
A Singaporean research university focused on engineering, technology, and applied cybersecurity solutions.
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
The national agency responsible for overseeing and funding strategic cybersecurity initiatives and digital infrastructure safety.
The details
The research team employed an agentic AI—autonomous software that performs tasks using defined objectives—to audit network code against 3GPP technical specifications. Many vulnerabilities arise because network functions frequently accept messages from other components without verification, a holdover from outdated trust models. The researchers successfully replicated a session hijacking exploit in two commercial 5G cores, demonstrating how attackers can divert data streams through rule injection.
Timeline
The research findings were presented at the Usenix Security Symposium in August 2026.
The Tech Race
This work directly tests the security robustness of modern telecommunications against 3GPP technical specifications. It marks a departure from legacy manual audits by deploying agentic AI to systematically map the attack surface of cloud-based 5G core implementations.
These vulnerabilities primarily affect network operators and the security of infrastructure rather than individual consumer devices. Users should rely on their carriers to apply patches as software developers continue to resolve the remaining confirmed flaws.
The takeaway
The transition to software-defined networks has introduced complex security gaps that traditional trust models fail to mitigate. Stakeholders should monitor for subsequent patches from the developers of Open5GS, free5GC, and OpenAirInterface to ensure network integrity.
Further reading
For more on the challenges of securing next-generation infrastructure, see our coverage of Cybersecurity.
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