Is 5G a threat to VPNs?

by Rilind Elezaj, Guest Contributor

VPN (Virtual Private Network) has been a game changer in the tech industry since it was invented by Microsoft slightly over two decades ago. Today, this technology helps online users to surf different websites online in anonymity, unblock websites in countries that have enforced Internet censorship, and to secure and encrypt confidential data against cybercriminals.

But VPN has had its fair share of downsides as well, the most prevalent of them all being that it reduces a user’s connection speed, sometimes resulting in underwhelming web performance for high-traffic sites.
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With the inception of 5G by the Chinese telecom giants Huawei, however, this problem could be a thing of the past. 5G will have the ability to connect many tech devices at a go and deliver more than 30 gigabytes in just one second. That is probably the speed that the word needs. Or is it?

According to tech experts, it is too early for anyone to celebrate the advent of 5G technology because, even as it improves internet speed, it could be a future threat to online privacy. Here is how:

1. The originator of the 5G network could potentially spy on people and governments
If the fears expressed by Christopher Krebs, director of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, about 5G are true, then chances are that Chinese tech giants could have the ability to spy on everyone around the world. Krebs recently argued that whether or not Huawei intends to spy on people is beside the point; after all, the company can even be coerced different governments into helping them to control global geopolitics. 

Although the full potential of 5G is yet to be realized, the technology looks vulnerable and prone to malicious compromise. The infrastructure that tech companies are hoping to employ when rolling out the 5G network hasn’t been confirmed to be foolproof. And because Huawei is planning to be sending its own engineers to inspect and maintain 5G hardware in their host nations, there are concerns that the engineers will thrive by ensuring that no other people understand their trade. That will leave countries at the mercies of these Chinese engineers.

Internet users will, knowingly or unknowingly, expose their privacy through continuous live streaming
Today, more and more people are joining the world of internet thanks in part to the increased number of handheld tech devices. The social media has also enticed people into sharing too much of their private lives with strangers online. But slow internet connections have been providing the much-needed cushioning for these people as it limits how much content they throw out there in a day. 
With 5G, however, people will be able to stream videos continuously and in real time without any technical hitches. That means unregulated filming and uncensored distribution of data. Preserving privacy under these conditions will be an uphill task even for established governments.

IoT network security will no longer be guaranteed
Today, IoT (Internet of Things) is sweeping across industries and continents. This technology is even being used in smart homes to monitor babies, enable remote home surveillance, monitor the sick and aged, and basically operate everything around the home. 

A smart home means that every tech device, every shred of information, and every person within a household is somehow connected with everything else. So far, the existing security infrastructure seems to be tight, but the same cannot be said once the 5G network rolls out fully. It will be extremely hard to cope with the high speed that this network is bringing, and that might create a loophole for cybercriminals to exploit and steal important data from unsuspecting homeowners.

Bottom line
5G is here and there is no way of stopping it. The best that any government can do right now is to move with speed and close any security hole that could jeopardize the security of its data and the privacy of its people. And because the complete rollout of this technology can even take three years to reach the common internet user, we all still have time to get our houses in order in readiness for 5G.

While we must keep an eye on the security threats that we may have to cope with in the near future, we must not forget the many awesome benefits that 5G will bring forth. Countries and businesses that will adopt this technology will definitely have the upper hand in most business dealings.

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