Virtualized Network Functions security attacks and vulnerabilities

Network functions virtualization (NFV) is a new paradigm in the network technology domain. NFV decouples network functions (NFs) from proprietary appliances and deploys these functions into high-volume servers such as the ×86. Instead of having NFs on propriety devices that are built-in software, NFV leverages virtualization to deploy NFs on high-volume servers. This will enable innovations and opportunity for industry and academia. In contrast with traditional networks, NFV reduces the capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenses (OPEX). However, its security becomes crucial. Specifically, virtualized network functions (VNFs) are an important part of NFV. In this paper, we aim to investigate security issues in VNFs. Furthermore, we discuss security challenges in software defined networks (SDNs) when virtualized as VNFs. In this paper, we also highlight some important research directions in NFV that need more investigation to mitigate security attacks.