As 5G networks become more mainstream, privacy has come to the forefront of end users. More scrutiny has been shown to previous generation cellular technologies such as 3G and 4G on how they handle sensitive metadata transmitted from an end user mobile device to base stations during registration with a cellular network. These generation cellular networks do not enforce any encryption on this information transmitted during this process, giving malicious actors an easy way to intercept the information. Such an interception can allow an adversary to locate end users with shocking accuracy. This paper investigates this problem in great detail and discusses how a newly introduced approach in 5G networks is helping combat this problem. The paper discusses the implications of this vulnerability and the technical details of the new approach, including the encryption schemes used to secure this sensitive information. Finally, the paper will discuss any limitations to this new approach.

翻译：随着5G网络日益普及，隐私问题已成为终端用户关注的焦点。人们对前代蜂窝技术（如3G和4G）在处理终端用户移动设备注册蜂窝网络时向基站传输的敏感元数据方式提出了更多质疑。这些前代蜂窝网络在传输过程中未对此类信息实施任何加密措施，导致恶意行为者可以轻易截获信息。此类拦截将使攻击者能够以惊人的精度定位终端用户位置。本文深入研究了该问题，并探讨了5G网络中采用的新方法如何帮助应对这一挑战。论文阐述了该漏洞的影响及新方法的技术细节，包括用于保护敏感信息的加密方案。最后，本文还将讨论该新方法存在的任何局限性。