Japanese IT company Fujitsu and US-Japanese cyber security company Trend Micro have partnered to “focus on” the security of private 5G networks. The pair said they will use a simulated smart factory environment at a Fujitsu factory in Japan to run the rule over Trend Micro’s private-5G security product, ahead of its general release.
Trend Micro’s 5G security solution has been integrated into a private 5G system that simulates an actual smart factory environment equipped with high-definition monitoring cameras and automatic guided vehicles (AGV) at Fujitsu’s ‘collaboration lab’ in Kawasaki, Japan. The setup was used to visualize and manage the status and security of systems, as well as correlate threat detection and prevention data from the devices and network, they said.
“Private 5G network technology will be the catalyst for true smart factories globally,” a statement declared. But the expanded IT infrastructure that goes with private 5G in operational technology (OT) environments presents a risk for cyberattacks, they said, and an “urgent need” to implement cybersecurity measures to protect against them.
The Trend Micro solution leverages embedded endpoint security within the SIM card of IoT devices and network security running on private 5G systems. Trend Micro maintains it can detect and protect against threats in the private 5G network, authenticate devices trying to connect to the 5G network, and block unauthorized communication in real time.
The new project is designed to show how to protect smart factories from internal threats, such as unauthorized or malware-infected devices, as well as external threats attempting to enter the factory through the 5G network. The trial will run through to September, at Fujitsu’s Oyama Plant, and a decision to commercialise the solution will be taken after.
Tomonori Goto, corporate executive officer, senior vice president, and head of 5G vertical services at Fujitsu, said: “Fujitsu aims to realize a society in which people, goods, and services are connected in real time through 5G technology and to solve problems facing the world. To this end, we believe that this security solution, created together with Trend Micro, represents a key technology for applying private 5G to mission-critical areas. Fujitsu will continue to cooperate with Trend Micro to create new value through the power of co-creation.”
Akihiko Omikawa, executive vice president at Trend Micro, remarked: “We’re delighted to be joining forces with Fujitsu to tackle the immense challenge of cybersecurity for private 5G. Together, we are making smart manufacturing more secure to ensure production isn’t stopped due to a cyberattack.”
