We analyze Cellnex Telecom’s corporate security platforms to verify compliance with security controls and propose improvements.

Challenge

Cellnex Telecom was born out of a spin-off from Abertis and has become the leading independent provider of wireless telecommunications infrastructures in Europe. Today, it employs more than 1,300 people and operates in six European Union countries.

Throughout this spin-off process, Cellnex Telecom acquired a number of security technology solutions. Consequently, due to their complexity, they required our services to optimize them to the fullest extent. Their goal was not only to identify redundant functionalities but also to conduct an exhaustive analysis of each one to ensure compliance with security controls, propose network improvements, and evaluate the transmission of events to a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system.

Project

To ensure the success of the project to optimize Cellnex Telecom’s corporate security platforms, we assembled a dedicated team consisting of technical experts in the various platforms and security consultants.

This project consisted of the following phases:

Phase 1 – As is

In this first phase, we conducted an inventory of all the security solutions available at Cellnex Telecom, along with their current configurations. The result was a study of:

• Features available on the platforms currently in use.
• Features available but not used.
• Features not available due to lack of license.

Subsequently, we went further by analyzing the current configuration of each platform and proposing specific security improvements to help the company increase its compliance with security controls. In parallel with the platform analysis, we compiled a list of security controls implemented in the tools based on ISO 27001 and ISO 27017. From all areas, we selected those applicable to the various platforms in order to assess their compliance levels. To conclude this phase, we created a graphical representation of Cellnex Telecom’s existing security architecture and analyzed how security solution events were transmitted to the SIEM. Using these events along with pre-established correlation rules, defined in the subsequent phase we set up security alerts.

Phase 2 – To be

This second phase was aimed at developing specific proposals to optimize the company’s security platforms. The outcome of this study included:

• Assessment of the current situation regarding the security controls implemented.
• Assessment of the situation if the proposed improvements are implemented without incurring additional licensing costs.
• Assessment of the situation if the proposed improvements are implemented, including both those that incur no additional cost and those that do.
• List of all the security controls that cannot be implemented using the current tools.

An important element in this phase was the network architecture, for which we proposed a series of improvements to optimize its security level. We justified each proposal by detailing the extent to which it reduces operational risk. Finally, we defined a set of correlation rules to implement in the SIEM, allowing us to obtain metrics for the technical security controls established throughout this second phase.

Results

With this corporate security platform optimization project, Cellnex Telecom has achieved several benefits:

• Having a thorough analysis of all security platforms conducted by expert technicians, complete with a series of improvement proposals and cost estimates.
• Having an overall view of the current security architecture and proposals for its improvement.
• Having a study of the current state regarding compliance with the technical security controls across all platforms. Additionally, they can now compare their current state with how it will be once the proposed improvements are implemented.
• Having improvement proposals for the current network architecture, along with a justification of the risk level that each one mitigates.
• Having the analysis of the events that the different platforms must send to the SIEM, including the definition of correlation rules to obtain metrics for the technical security controls.