Israeli private cellular security startup OneLayer has opened a network security lab in Tel Aviv for telecoms and security companies to test threats to private LTE and 5G networks, currently rolling out in enterprises across the globe. The firm has invited solution providers to test their technologies and applications at the site, which uses core equipment from network vendors Nokia, Druid, and Airspan. The work remit to stay “ahead of the bad guys as the network continues to evolve”.
OneLayer described the lab as a simulation environment (digital twin), and “one of the world’s first 5G private network security labs”. It is “open to the public”, from anywhere, for research purposes, it said. The lab “acts as a digital twin to simulate specific threat scenarios posed to an enterprise network”. It continued: “Data collected during these simulations will help companies find the best security solutions for each organisation and its needs.”
The company, which came out stealth mode in March with $8.2 million of seed funding, announced in July it is working with Nokia to secure new private 5G comms in two hospitals in Israel. It stated: “Using core equipment from Nokia, Druid, and Airspan, the lab can create private networks based on different types of cores, end units, and IoT devices to model different types of cyberattacks and the solutions to defend against them.”
Liron Ben-Horin, vice president of systems engineering at OneLayer, commented: “The goal… is to provide the opportunity to test private networks and security use cases to improve the understanding of connected IoT and OT devices… We intend to collect and analyse data in order to profile devices and segment networks appropriately. We want to share our tools and capabilities with the… ecosystem to foster industry collaboration.”
Cyber-security firms Armis, Claroty, Forescout, and OTORIO are already working at the site. Armis said it is collaborating to “help defenders gain full visibility to their core networks and their connected devices”. Claroty’s Team82 was quoted, also, stating its interest is in core network security, and its target is to “improve the cybersecurity of 5G core network devices”.
Forescout said: “These types of activities enable the Israeli ecosystem and cybersecurity market to ensure we are ahead of the bad guys as the network continues to evolve.” OTORIO said it is looking to “test the integrations with various technologies and telecom systems”.
