EMSentry - Making Mobile Infrastructure Secure in Expeditionary Regions: An Air-gapped Monitoring Approach Leveraging EM Side-Channels

EMSentry introduces a pioneering approach for monitoring and detecting anoma- lous events in legacy and 5G mobile core network elements, safeguarding against various attacks, including those targeting the firmware supply chain. This proposal builds upon our previous work, “ArEMGuard: Mobile Infrastructure Authentication in Expeditionary Regions via Unintended EM Emission Monitoring,” exploring both the limitations and advantages of our proposed solutions in realistic threat scenarios. The deployment of US forces in foreign territories necessitates reliance on local mobile networks for critical organizational and communication needs. These networks, situated in areas that may range from friendly to hostile, demand rigorous authentication protocols to safeguard secure communications. The absence of such authorized systems amplifies the vulnerability to security breaches, posing a significant threat to the safety and operational integrity of US forces due to inadequate system management. This challenge persists even in environments considered secure (‘Blue terrain’), owing to the widespread outsourcing of critical 5G system components. The supply chain dynamics of 5G technology further complicate security measures. It extends beyond potentially reliable system integrators and suppliers to a vast network of entities within a complex, globally distributed supply chain. Creating a supply chain exclusively comprised of verified, trusted entities is not only challenging but also cost-prohibitive. Consequently, the establishment of a mechanism for the authentication of 5G network components emerges as an essential requirement. In this effort we will refine and advance our innovative solution, which capitalizes on EM side-channels (unintended yet informative byproducts of legitimate system operations, primarily originating from transistor state changes). Our focus extends to closely monitoring and adjusting the model based on insights gathered from field deployments, with the ultimate aim of readying the prototype for real-world implementation and subsequent commercialization. A pivotal aspect of our research involves comprehensive tests in a meticulously controlled ‘white-box’ environment.