Waiting for 5G connection? Researchers have this dire warning for you

5G launch: The next-generation wireless network technology 5G is slated to be rolled out at the end of 2019. But ahead of its worldwide roll-out, researchers have revealed the sheer vulnerability in the network that allows for spying of data over airwaves.

According to news agency ANI, a research paper from the Technical University of Berlin, ETH Zurich and SINTEF Digital Norway details the privacy threat with the 5G network.

The vulnerability affects Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) that ensures your phone securely communicates with cellular networks.

It allows hackers or data thieves to steal information from 5G airwaves such as the number of calls made, text messages sent, and so on.

Although the researchers tested the threat on an existing 4G network, the attacks can apply to 5G networks once they are available.

The threat is in contradiction to the protection 5G was supposed to provide against International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) catchers which impersonate cell towers to spy on phones with older connections.

As the vulnerability has been discovered well ahead of the protocol roll-out, researchers could possibly fix the loophole.

Meanwhile, there are reports doing the rounds that Indian government is planning to conduct an auction of 5G airwaves in June this year in order to meet its goal of launching 5G commercial services in the country by 2020.

With Inputs from ANI.