Researchers Report 84 Flaws in 4G and 5G Cores, Including a Session Hijacking Flaw

An academic study has disclosed a "widespread class" of security vulnerabilities impacting 4G and 5G core networks that, if successfully exploited, could trigger denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and even session hijacking, allowing an attacker to seize control of a user's network session. The findings have been released by a group of researchers from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University

The article reports an academic study that used the iFinder multi-agent system to uncover 84 previously unknown vulnerabilities in 4G/5G core implementations (Open5GS, free5GC, OpenAirInterface, SD-Core, eUPF) across GTP-C and PFCP signaling, largely caused by implicit trust and missing validation between core network components.[1][5] Researchers further demonstrated a real-world session hijacking attack on commercial 5G cores via malicious PFCP Session Modification requests that can redirect user traffic, as well as denial-of-service conditions.[5] From a RealGround perspective, these findings highlight systemic software supply-chain and architecture risks in telecom-core software—especially open-source components and cloud-native deployments—that can propagate into AI-powered network automation, observability, and orchestration layers. Organizations should treat 4G/5G core stacks and associated AI-based management planes as critical supply-chain elements: maintain SBOMs, continuously assess CVE exposure in signaling protocols, and integrate these core vulnerabilities into broader AI Security Readiness and dependency risk reviews.