TR 33.848
Study on Security impacts of Virtualisation

3GPP‑Page fToC_↓ Partial Content _→

V18.0.0 (Wzip) 2023/09 55 p.

Rapporteur:: Mr. Leadbeater, Alex
BT plc

full Table of Contents for TR 33.848 Word version: 18.0.0

each clause number in 'red' refers to the equivalent title in the Partial Content

Introduction p. 8

Scope p. 9

References p. 9

Definitions of terms, symbols and abbreviations p. 10

3.1	Terms p. 10
3.2	Symbols p. 11
3.3	Abbreviations p. 11

Virtualisation Background, Concepts and Assumptions p. 12

4.1

Introduction p. 12

4.2

Architecture p. 12

4.3

Virtualisation of 3GPP Network Functions p. 13

4.4

General NFV security issues p. 13

4.4.1	Access to VNFs via virtualisation layer p. 13
4.4.2	Sharing of private keys between VNFs p. 13
4.4.3	Isolation p. 14
4.4.4	Vulnerabilities of physical hosts p. 14
4.4.5	Secure Administration p. 14

4.5

Limited Virtualisation vs Full Virtualisation p. 14

Key Issues p. 15

5.1

Introduction p. 15

5.2

Key Issue #1: Establishment of trust domains for Network Functions p. 15

5.2.1	Key issue detail p. 15
5.2.2	Security threats p. 15
5.2.3	Potential security requirements p. 15

5.3

Key Issue #2: Confidentiality of sensitive data p. 16

5.3.1	Key issue detail p. 16
5.3.2	Security threats p. 16
5.3.3	Potential security requirements p. 16

5.4

Key Issue #3: Availability of Network Functions p. 16

5.4.1	Key issue detail p. 16
5.4.2	Security threats p. 16
5.4.3	Potential security requirements p. 17

5.5

Key Issue #4: Common Software Environment p. 17

5.5.1	Key issue detail p. 17
5.5.2	Security threats p. 17
5.5.3	Potential security requirements p. 17

5.6

Key Issue #5: Data Location and Lifecycle p. 18

5.6.1	Key issue detail p. 18
5.6.2	Security threats p. 18
5.6.3	Potential security requirements p. 18

5.7

Key Issue #6: Function Isolation p. 18

5.7.1	Key issue detail p. 18
5.7.2	Security threats p. 19
5.7.3	Potential security requirements p. 19

5.8

Key Issue #7: Memory Introspection p. 19

5.8.1	Key issue detail p. 19
5.8.2	Security threats p. 19
5.8.3	Potential security requirements p. 19

5.9

Key Issue #8: Test Isolation and Assurance p. 20

5.9.1	Key issue detail p. 20
5.9.2	Security threats p. 20
5.9.3	Potential security requirements p. 21

5.10

Key Issue #9: Trust domain and Slice Isolation p. 21

5.10.1	Key issue detail p. 21
5.10.2	Security threats p. 21
5.10.3	Potential security requirements p. 21

5.11

Key Issue 10: Single Administrator Domain p. 22

5.11.1	Key issue detail p. 22
5.11.2	Security threats p. 22
5.11.3	Potential security requirements p. 22

5.12

Key Issue #11: Where are my Keys and Confidential Data p. 22

5.12.1	Key issue detail p. 22
5.12.2	Security threats p. 22
5.12.3	Potential security requirements p. 23

5.13

Key Issue #12: Where the is my function p. 23

5.13.1	Key issue detail p. 23
5.13.2	Security threats p. 23
5.13.3	Potential security requirements p. 23

5.14

Key Issue #13: Attestation at 3GPP Function level p. 24

5.14.1	Key issue detail p. 24
5.14.2	Security threats p. 24
5.14.3	Potential security requirements p. 24

5.15

Key Issue #14: VNF Host Spanning p. 24

5.15.1	Key issue detail p. 24
5.15.2	Security threats p. 25
5.15.3	Potential security requirements p. 25

5.16

Key Issue #15: Encrypted Data Processing p. 25

5.16.1	Key issue detail p. 25
5.16.2	Security threats p. 25
5.16.3	Potential security requirements p. 25

5.17

Key Issue #16: Mixed Virtual and Legacy PNF Deployments p. 26

5.17.1	Key issue detail p. 26
5.17.2	Security threats p. 26
5.17.3	Potential security requirements p. 26

5.18

Key Issue #17: Software Catalogue Image Exposure p. 27

5.18.1	Key issue detail p. 27
5.18.2	Security threats p. 27
5.18.3	Potential security requirements p. 27

5.19

Key Issue #18: The Startup Paradox p. 28

5.19.1	Key issue detail p. 28
5.19.2	Security threats p. 28
5.19.3	Potential security requirements p. 28

5.20

Key Issue #19: Time Manipulation p. 28

5.20.1	Key issue detail p. 28
5.20.2	Security threats p. 28
5.20.3	Potential security requirements p. 28

5.21

Key Issue #20: 3rd Party Hosting Environments p. 29

5.21.1	Key issue detail p. 29
5.21.2	Security threats p. 29
5.21.3	Potential security requirements p. 29

5.22

Key Issue #21: VM and Hypervisor Breakout p. 29

5.22.1	Key issue detail p. 29
5.22.2	Security threats p. 29
5.22.3	Potential security requirements p. 30

5.23

Key Issue #22: MANO Single Point of Failures p. 30

5.23.1	Key issue detail p. 30
5.23.2	Security threats p. 30
5.23.3	Potential security requirements p. 30

5.24

Key Issue #23: IP layer vs Application layer Security p. 30

5.24.1	Key issue detail p. 30
5.24.2	Security threats p. 31
5.24.3	Potential security requirements p. 31

5.25

Key Issue #24: Data synchronicity through network p. 31

5.25.1	Key issue detail p. 31
5.25.2	Security threats p. 31
5.25.3	Potential security requirements p. 31

5.26

Key Issue #25: Container Security p. 31

5.26.1	Key issue detail p. 31
5.26.2	Security threats p. 32
5.26.3	Potential security requirements p. 32

5.27

Key Issue #26: Container breakout p. 32

5.27.1	Key issue detail p. 32
5.27.2	Security threats p. 33
5.27.3	Potential security requirements p. 33

5.28

Key Issue #27: Secrets in NF container images p. 33

5.28.1	Key issue detail p. 33
5.28.2	Security threats p. 33
5.28.3	Potential security requirements p. 34

5.29

Key Issue #28: Management APIs p. 34

5.29.1	Key issue detail p. 34
5.29.2	Security threats p. 34
5.29.3	Potential security requirements p. 34

5.30

Key Issue #29: Image Snapshot and VNF Mobility p. 35

5.30.1	Key issue detail p. 35
5.30.2	Security threats p. 35
5.30.3	Potential security requirements p. 35

Mitigations and Solutions p. 36

6.1

Introduction p. 36

6.2

Solution #1: Trust domains and separation p. 36

6.2.1

Introduction p. 36

6.2.2

Solution details p. 36

6.2.2.1	Definition of trust domains p. 36
6.2.2.2	Software separation of VNFs p. 36
6.2.2.3	Separation of physical infrastructure p. 37
6.2.2.4	Virtualisation platform p. 37

6.2.3

Evaluation p. 37

6.3

Solution #2: Lock-down of infrastructure p. 37

6.3.1	Introduction p. 37
6.3.2	Solution details p. 37
6.3.3	Evaluation p. 38

6.4

Solution #3: Administration of the virtualisation fabric p. 38

6.4.1	Introduction p. 38
6.4.2	Solution Details p. 38
6.4.3	Evaluation p. 38

6.5

Solution #4: Hardware Mediated Execution Enclave (HMEE) p. 39

6.5.1	Introduction p. 39
6.5.2	Solution details p. 39
6.5.3	Evaluation p. 39

6.6

Solution #5: Solution Using Boot Time Attestation for NF Registration p. 40

6.6.1

General p. 40

6.6.2

Introduction p. 40

6.6.2.1	Reference Architecture for Attestation p. 40
6.6.2.2	Attestation in NFV Environments p. 41

6.6.3

Solution Details p. 42

6.6.3.1	General p. 42
6.6.3.2	Attestation of the NFVI p. 42
6.6.3.3	Attestation of VNFs p. 43
6.6.3.4	Proposed Requirements for Attestation in NFV Environments p. 44
6.6.3.5	Profile and Attestation Check Function (PACF) p. 44
6.6.3.6	NF Service Registration Procedure with Remote Attestation p. 45

6.6.4

Evaluation p. 46

6.7

Solution #6: Solution Using Attestation for Key Issue 13 p. 47

6.7.1	General p. 47
6.7.2	Introduction p. 47
6.7.3	Solution Details p. 48
6.7.4	Evaluation p. 49

6.8

Solution #7: Ticket-based access control for NFV p. 49

6.8.1	Introduction p. 49
6.8.2	Solution details p. 50
6.8.3	Evaluation p. 51

6.9

Solution #8: Slice isolation in both service and resource layer p. 51

6.9.1	General p. 51
6.9.2	Solution Details p. 51
6.9.3	Evaluation p. 52

Conclusions p. 52

Recommendations p. 53

Principles for administration of virtualisation infrastructure p. 54

Change history p. 55

TR 33.848 Study on Security impacts of Virtualisation

full Table of Contents for TR 33.848 Word version: 18.0.0

TR 33.848
Study on Security impacts of Virtualisation