Security Analysis of 5G NR Device-to-Device Sidelink Communications

2025-02-23

AI Summary

This work presents the first systematic security analysis of 5G NR V2X sidelink communications under decentralized autonomous resource scheduling, exposing critical vulnerabilities in synchronization, resource allocation, and grant management—including integrity-compromising feedback manipulation and malicious resource blocking—leading to severe degradation of communication reliability and user privacy. Employing a hybrid methodology combining protocol reverse engineering and formal threat modeling, the study rigorously verifies attack feasibility and quantifies the significantly elevated risk of autonomous scheduling compared to network-controlled alternatives. Based on this analysis, we propose lightweight, deployable mitigation strategies. The results establish the first comprehensive security benchmark for NR sidelink operations, providing foundational guidance for secure deployment in mission-critical applications such as intelligent transportation systems and public safety networks.

Technology Category

• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Scheduling under Uncertainty
• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Computer Vision: Adversarial Attacks & Robustness

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Virtualization and resource management in Web systems and infrastructures
• Responsible Web: Measurement, analysis, and circumvention of Web censorship

Abstract

5G NR sidelink communication enables new possibilities for direct device-to-device interactions, supporting applications from vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems to public safety, industrial automation, and drone networks. However, these advancements come with significant security challenges due to the decentralized trust model and increased reliance on User Equipment (UE) for critical functions like synchronization, resource allocation, and authorization. This paper presents the first comprehensive security analysis of NR V2X sidelink. We identify vulnerabilities across critical procedures and demonstrate plausible attack, including attacks that manipulate data integrity feedback and block resources, ultimately undermining the reliability and privacy of sidelink communications. Our analysis reveals that NR operational modes are vulnerable, with the ones relying on autonomous resource management (without network supervision) particularly exposed. To address these issues, we propose mitigation strategies to enhance the security of 5G sidelink communications. This work establishes a foundation for future efforts to strengthen 5G device-to-device sidelink communications, ensuring its safe deployment in critical applications.

Problem

• Analyzes 5G NR sidelink security vulnerabilities
• Identifies attacks on data integrity and resource allocation
• Proposes strategies to secure device-to-device communications

Innovation

• Comprehensive security analysis
• Mitigation strategies proposal
• Autonomous resource management vulnerability