Cybersecurity for telecommunications operators

A telecom operator carries everyone else’s traffic, so its failures become national news. Operators hold identity-linked data on millions of subscribers and run networks that banks and government depend on. A single breach can expose customers and interrupt service on the same day.

Why operators are a prime target

In Indonesia, prepaid SIM cards must be registered with a national ID number (NIK) and family card number. Subscriber data is therefore tied to real identities. That makes a telco leak especially useful for fraud, and especially damaging for the operator. Attackers also go after billing and top-up systems for direct profit, and after the core network for espionage or disruption.

The rules reflect this. Telecommunications is part of Indonesia’s vital information infrastructure, so the National Cyber and Crypto Agency (BSSN) takes a close interest in serious incidents. The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) oversees licensing and service quality. The Personal Data Protection Law (UU PDP) covers all subscriber data, and operators in European markets also answer to GDPR.

What we test

  • Operations and business support systems (OSS/BSS), CRM and billing APIs, where authorization flaws can expose subscriber records or let an attacker grant themselves more rights.
  • The 5G core and its cloud-native network functions, which run in containers and can be exposed by misconfiguration or container escape.
  • Subscriber databases (HSS/UDM) and location services, where a leak directly harms privacy.
  • Vendor and managed-service access, including third-party network operations centers.

How we work with operators

We run external, internal and cloud penetration tests. A penetration test is an authorized, controlled attack that finds weaknesses before criminals do. If you want a realistic view of whether your team would spot an intrusion, we add a red team exercise. This is a covert attack with a clear goal, such as reaching billing administration, mapped to MITRE ATT&CK. The report explains each finding in terms of customer impact and regulatory exposure, so leadership can set priorities.

After the first round, we run continuous vulnerability assessment and hardening against ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 and telecom regulatory requirements, with retests to confirm fixes. Our 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) and threat intelligence service can watch for leaked subscriber data and fraud campaigns that abuse your brand.

Multi-vendor and multi-country networks are tested with care to avoid customer impact. Work is scoped by network domain, and reporting can follow your time zones.

Snipeyes is CREST-accredited and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified. Our testers follow PTES, NIST SP 800-115 and MITRE ATT&CK. The service is built for mobile network operators, broadband and cable providers, MVNOs and wholesale carriers.