Open RAN for detection of a jamming attack in a 5G network

One of the essential security threats for 5G networks is jamming. It is relatively easy to be performed utilizing cheap and publically available devices. Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture is very suitable for detecting such events thanks to the openness of interfaces and the ability to analyze wireless traffic metrics and exchange control messages in a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) using some dedicated xApp or rApp. This paper presents a statistical method for downlink jamming detection utilizing the link quality reports provided by User Equipments (UEs). A vision of its implementation in O-RAN is presented altogether with performance quality metrics obtained via simulations.