Network Softwarization technology enablers for Trust and Security in B5G and 6G Networks
Wednesday, 4 June 2025, 16:00 – 17:30, room 0.A
Session Chair:
- Mattin A. Elorza Forcada (Telefónica Innovación Digital S.L., ES)
Network softwarization has emerged as a powerful enabler on the evolution of communication networks transformation, allowing networks to evolve from rigid, hardware-based systems to flexible, programmable platforms. However, this shift introduces new vulnerabilities and increases the attack surface, making robust security and privacy solutions imperative. At the same time, the adoption of distributed intelligence and the integration of heterogeneous devices further complicate resource management and decision-making processes. These challenges underscore the urgency of fostering a comprehensive understanding of secure, intelligent, and privacy-preserving network architectures.
This special session is an opportunity to unite researchers from different SNS projects (PRIVATEER, NANCY, RIGOROUS) as well as COBALT and CASTOR projects, to explore advancements and best practices in secure and trustworthy network design, softwarization, and testing frameworks. By emphasizing collaboration and knowledge exchange, the workshop aims to accelerate the development of innovative solutions that address the challenges of security, privacy, and scalability in 6G networks.
This special session will emphasize methodologies, tools, and architectures that contribute to reshaping future networks. It will serve to define a shared vision for secure, trustworthy, intelligent, and scalable communication systems.
Programme
16:00 – 16:20: Talk by Mattin A. Elorza Forcada, TID & Jesus A. Alonso-Lopez, UCM
Title of the talk:
Trust Technology enablers: LoT and PoT overview
As networks evolve towards 6G, advancements in speed, capabilities, and vertical services introduce new challenges related to vulnerabilities and security, which directly impact user trust.
Given the growing concern about the security of communications services, measuring trust in these services would be a way to ensure, on the one hand, that users feel their data is more secure, including those that affect their privacy, and, on the other hand, that operators are able to take preventive action when trust in certain services appears to be waning.
To address this, the Proof of Transit (PoT) mechanism emerges as an innovative solution to enhance trust evaluation in Next-Generation Networks. PoT provides a means to verify and ensure that data traverses the expected network paths securely and transparently, mitigating risks associated with unauthorized deviations or security breaches. By integrating PoT into trust assessment frameworks, network operators can enhance reliability, strengthen security, and offer users greater confidence in the integrity of their communications.
The presentation showcases several of the research and development activities that are carried out in the context of the PRIVATEER project, which has received funding from the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101096110.
16:20 – 16:40: Talk by Dimitris Pliatsios, UOWM
Title of the talk:
Security & Trust Technology enablers: AI-based Intrusion Detection enhanced with eXplainable AI (XAI)
The open radio access network (O-RAN) is a critical component of Beyond-5th and 6th generation (B5G/6G) mobile networks as it is the main interface between the user equipment (UE) and the mobile network.
Consequently, it is a primary target for adversaries seeking to disrupt communications or compromise data integrity. The utilization of AI techniques is a promising asset in detecting and addressing the impacts of potential cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. The combination of AI and the network status data obtained through O-RAN can lead to the development of novel countermeasures against cyberattacks. The presentation is focused on a prototype implementation of a 5G coverage expansion scenario that leverages a micro-operator equipped with 5G capabilities. Furthermore, an AI-enabled cyberattack detection mechanism is deployed on the micro-operator. The mechanism analyses the network traffic to detect and identify various cyberattacks. Finally, the capabilities of the cyberattack detection mechanism are augmented via eXplainable AI (XAI) algorithms.
Related project: NANCY (Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) – Horizon Europe.)
16:40 – 17:00: Talk by Antonio Skarmeta, UM
Title of the talk:
Security & Privacy service onboarding
In the modern digital landscape, the deployment and management of network applications require advanced technologies to ensure robust security and privacy. The integration of Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), Moving Target Defense (MTD), and Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) is crucial. These technologies collectively enable the secure onboarding of applications, allowing for dynamic adaptation and continuous protection against evolving threats, while maintaining compliance with stringent privacy standards. In this talk we will present how RIGOUROUS project provide support to the deployment of network applications and their subsequent onboarding into a secure infrastructure following a DevSecOps approach.
17:00 – 17:15: Talk by George Xilouris, NCSR “Demokritos”
Title of the talk:
Harmonizing Cybersecurity Across Europe: Innovations in Certification with Digital Twinning and Quantum Readiness
The European cybersecurity landscape is undergoing a pivotal transformation. As digital infrastructures grow in complexity, the need for a harmonized, agile, and scalable cybersecurity certification model has never been greater. The COBALT project addresses this demand through the development of a Common Certification Model (CCM) and a pioneering use of Digital Twinning (DT) and Quantum Computing paradigms.
This keynote explores COBALT’s vision to unify fragmented certification schemes across industrial and quantum verticals by introducing a cross-sectoral cybersecurity namespace supported by dynamic, real-time, and evidence-based certification processes. Attendees will gain insights into how COBALT’s innovations in DT-as-a-Service, decentralized data governance, and quantum oracle validation are setting the groundwork for the next generation of European cybersecurity resilience. The session will also outline the strategic role of decentralized architectures and continuous certification in supporting Europe’s digital sovereignty.
17:15 – 17:30: Talk by Thanassis Giannetsos, Ubitech
Title of the talk:
Trusted Path Routing & Path Validation for Beyond 5G Networks
Recently, several hardware-assisted security architectures have been proposed to mitigate the ever-growing cyberattacks on Internet-connected devices. However, such proposals are not compatible with a large portion of the already deployed resource-constrained embedded devices due to hardware limitations. The vast majority of such devices are bare-metal, where they execute programs in fully-accessible and unprotected memories without any operating system and even without any form of security. To mitigate such attacks, a number of trust anchors have been proposed offering guarantees on the correct operation of the target device including also data integrity. While this transformation has driven major advancements in various application domains (such as road safety and transportation efficiency and network management), significant work remains to be done to capture the strict security, privacy, and trust requirements of all involved stakeholders. In this presentation, we will be diving into the details of trust management and why devices need to make dynamic assessments of trust as an enabling factor for the secure communication and data sharing with other entities in their vicinity. We will be exemplifying this need through the current trends in safety-critical applications (e.g., Connected Cars, Trusted path Routing) and present the roadmap towards Compute Continuum wide trust quantification which can be tackled through the introduction of adaptive-to-changes mechanisms for capturing the devices (HW and SW) trust scores, anchored to decentralized roots, and subsequently elevated carefully at the continuum-level.
