Securing Open RAN: A Survey of Cryptographic Challenges and Emerging Solutions for 5G

TL;DR

This survey reviews cryptographic challenges and solutions in securing Open RAN for 5G, highlighting vulnerabilities, cryptographic tools, and emerging testbeds, with a focus on future directions for enhanced security architectures.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of cryptographic issues and solutions in Open RAN, integrating recent research, and outlining future research directions for 6G security.

Findings

Identification of key vulnerabilities like cipher bidding-down attacks

Evaluation of cryptographic tools such as SNOW-V, AES-256, ZUC-256

Highlighting emerging testbeds and AI-driven security solutions

Abstract

The advent of Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) introduces modularity and flexibility into 5G deployments but also surfaces novel security challenges across disaggregated interfaces. This literature review synthesizes recent research across thirteen academic and industry sources, examining vulnerabilities such as cipher bidding-down attacks, partial encryption exposure on control/user planes, and performance trade-offs in securing O-RAN interfaces like E2 and O1. The paper surveys key cryptographic tools -- SNOW-V, AES-256, and ZUC-256 -- evaluating their throughput, side-channel resilience, and adaptability to heterogeneous slices (eMBB, URLLC, mMTC). Emphasis is placed on emerging testbeds and AI-driven controllers that facilitate dynamic orchestration, anomaly detection, and secure configuration. We conclude by outlining future research directions, including hardware offloading, cross-layer cipher adaptation, and alignment with 3GPP TS 33.501 and O-RAN Alliance security mandates, all of which point toward the need for integrated, zero-trust architectures in 6G.