  In December 2017, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) released
the first set of specifications for 5G New Radio (NR), which is currently the
most widely accepted 5G cellular standard. 5G NR is expected to replace LTE and
previous generations of cellular technology over the next several years,
providing higher throughput, lower latency, and a host of new features. Similar
to LTE, the 5G NR physical layer consists of several physical channels and
signals, most of which are vital to the operation of the network.
Unfortunately, like for any wireless technology, disruption through radio
jamming is possible. This paper investigates the extent to which 5G NR is
vulnerable to jamming and spoofing, by analyzing the physical downlink and
uplink control channels and signals. We identify the weakest links in the 5G NR
frame, and propose mitigation strategies that should be taken into account
during implementation of 5G NR chipsets and base stations.
