Closed-Loop Security Management for Developing O-RAN Infrastructure and B5G RIC Applications

The emergence of 5G instigates a profound transition towards an open architecture in telecommunications, allowing a diverse array of companies to engage in equipment manufacturing and creating a mutually beneficial business model. Utilizing the principles of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and virtualization, this open architecture constructs key O-RAN components such as base stations, central units, distributed units, radio units, service management orchestration, and RIC applications. However, the widespread integration of software and virtualization into open RANs inevitably leads to an influx of open-source projects without sufficient security validation, posing significant cybersecurity management and development risks. To counter these risks and facilitate the successful commercialization of ORAN, this paper introduces a novel cybersecurity management solution. Adhering to the O-RAN standards and employing a closed-loop management approach, this solution is designed to significantly mitigate the heightened cybersecurity risks linked with open-source projects under the O-RAN framework. Our experimental results substantiate that this solution can effectively identify existing Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) risks in open-source projects, whilst providing timely alerts for potential future cybersecurity threats.