Our 6G Security and Privacy Seminars

November 28th, 2022

This seminar series is part of the 6G Security Research and Development Program conducted on behalf of the Australian Government – Department of Home Affairs. The Program aims to conduct foundational research into the security requirements of 6G technologies, and shape the development of 6G telecommunications standards internationally.

Sixth-generation (6G) networks are expected to exhibit more heterogeneity (be even more diverse) than 5G and are likely to support applications beyond current mobile use scenarios, such as virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR), ubiquitous instant communications, pervasive intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). However, 6G networks will have to cope with diverse threats in a space-air-ground integrated network environment, novel technologies, and an accessible user information explosion. Moreover, mitigating security and privacy issues for 6G would require profound discussions about what might be the suitable security by-design policies to drive the standardisation of  6G networks.

Aiming to grow Australian cybersecurity capacity and capability and be ready with a resilient roadmap for 6G, we introduce this seminar series around 6G security and privacy. The seminar series aims to invite national and international distinguished guest speakers with expertise across various relevant areas of the security and privacy of 5G/6G, including from academia and industries.  We will open this series to the public for better inclusion of our researchers, industry practitioners and government agencies.

Seminar Outlines and focus:

  • A roadmap to 6G privacy and security (6GPS)
  • Security solutions within network softwarisation and network virtualisation for 6G
  • 5G security and privacy issues and their implications on 6G
  • Driving the standardisation and design of 6G
  • Regulation, Policy and communication standards from a security standpoint
  • AI/ML spectrum management and adversarial radio characterisation
  • The network security architecture of 6G
  • Security and privacy in Connected Intelligence for 6G: Distributed learning, edge intelligence, intelligent communication, intelligent routing, intelligent optimisation and analytics
  • The threat landscape and modelling for 6G
  • (Post-quantum) cryptography for 6G
  • Required 6G security services and hardware for digital twin, Smart Grid 2.0, distributed ledger technology, Industry5.0, wireless BCI, connected robotics, UAV and autonomous driving.
  • Software supply chain security and vulnerabilities within the 5G/6G context
  • Firmware security within 5G/6G

Next event:

  • Date/Time: 7th February, 4-5 PM Sydney time

Speaker: M. Arnaud Taddei

Access Link: https://webcast.csiro.au/#/webcasts/6gsecurityandprivacyseminar

Title: Cybersecurity, standardization and cybersecurity standardization are broken!

Abstract: How counter intuitive as it might sound, when on the cybersecurity defender side, we spend so much energy, money and passion to protect what we need to defend that we lose track on the fact that cybercriminal business is at trillion of dollars level and growing. In short, if we were defending so well, cybercriminals business should decrease sharply, not increase in double digit numbers if not more. This presentation will discuss why standardization is in a broken state, why cybersecurity is in a broken state and why both together makes another broken state. The next question being how it applies to 6G. 

Bio: Arnaud Taddei is a Global Security Strategist at Symantec by Broadcom. He is an executive advisor to the CISOs and executives of fortune 150 organizations. As part of his mission, he participates in International Standardization Defining Organizations and in particular, was diplomatically appointed ITU-T SG17 Vice Chairman for the UK and works at the IETF. He started his career in 1993 at the CERN IT Division in Geneva which created the World Wide Web. In 2000, he joined Sun Microsystems where he became one of the 100 elected global Principle Engineers. In 2007 he joined Symantec from Chief Architect roles up to Director of Research as direct report to Dr. Hugh Thompson, Symantec’s CTO and actual RSA Conference Chairman.Graduated in 1992 from ENSTb and INRIA, France, which led him to the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow in 1992.

If you missed our previous events:

  • Date: 30 November 2023

Recording: https://webcast.csiro.au/#/videos/74e6da80-6f16-416d-af7a-8bfaea297682

Slides: 5G and Emerging Security Landscape

Speaker: Suresh Nair

Title: Current 5G security features and emerging 6G security landscape 

Abstract: The lecture will cover the latest 5G-advanced security features that has been studied and standardized in 5G and the emerging security landscape for 6G. Compared to current technology, 6G is expected to provide a converged experience of digital and physical worlds. All aspects of the devices and network segments including RAN, and core network are expected to evolve during 6G to support an always connected new digital experience bringing many security challenges. These security challenges need to be addressed from the very beginning of 6G evolution. 

Bio: Suresh Nair currently holds the chair position for 3GPP security working group SA3 since may 2021. He is a member of the security standardization team under the ST Architecture Security and Automation group in Nokia. Suresh has over 25 years of experience in the telecommunication industry. His career spans standardization work, research and development, proof of concept prototyping, product development and integration. He holds many key patents in the area of 4G/5G security and was awarded New Jersey Edison award in 2020. In addition to 3GPP he has also represented Nokia and actively contributed in telecommunication standard bodies such as IEEE, WiMAX forum, Wi-Fi Alliance and OneM2M. Suresh holds masters degrees in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering and in Applied Physics.  

  • Date: 29 September 2023 (10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Sydney time)

Recording: link

Slides: NA

Speaker: Dr. Xingqin Lin

Title: The Race is ON: AI in 5G-Advanced toward 6G 

Abstract: We have entered the era of artificial intelligence (AI), brought about by three converging forces: big data, deep learning algorithms, and high-performance computing accelerated by GPU. Meanwhile, we have seen 5G expansion continuing throughout the world and transforming society. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is now entering the second phase of 5G standardization – 5G-Advanced – which serves as a bridge toward 6G. As industries worldwide are being transformed by AI, it is natural to ask what role AI will play for wireless communications in 5G-Advanced toward 6G? This webinar addresses this question by providing an overview of the latest 3GPP work on AI/machine learning (ML) adoption in the 5G evolution. We will introduce the ongoing 3GPP Release-18 study on using AI/ML to augment the 5G New Radio (NR) air interface, covering both general framework and specific use cases including channel state information feedback, beam management, and positioning. Besides, we will discuss the latest 3GPP study on security and privacy of AI/ML-based services and applications in 5G. We will also share what will likely come next on AI/ML in 5G-Advanced toward 6G that will feature integrated AI and communication as well as security, privacy, and resilience capabilities. 

Bio: Dr. Xingqin Lin is a Senior Standards Engineer at NVIDIA, leading 3GPP standardization and conducting research at the intersection of 5G/6G and AI. Before joining NVIDIA, he was with Ericsson, leading 5G/6G research and standardization in focus areas. He was an Ericsson NextGen Advisory Board member, collaborating with Ericsson Executive Team on strategic projects. He is an expert in wireless communications and technology strategy and a key contributor to 5G NR, NB-IoT, and LTE standards. His pioneering work has led to strategic opportunities, products, and real-world deployments in the telecom industry, enabling major network transitions from 4G to 5G. He is co-author of the book “Wireless Communications and Networking for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” and the lead editor of the books “5G and Beyond: Fundamentals and Standards” and “Fundamentals of 6G Communications and Networking.” He has published 80+ refereed papers and contributed to 200+ patent applications, including standards essential inventions. His publications have been cited about 8,000 times. He has garnered several awards, including the IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize (2021), IEEE Vehicular Technology Society Early Career Award (2021), IEEE WCNC Best Paper Award (2020), and IEEE Communications Society Best Young Professional Award in Industry (2020), among others. He was included in the list of AI 2000 Most Influential Scholars in the field of Internet of Things (2021 & 2022). He serves/served as an editor of the IEEE Communications Letters (2015-2018), IEEE Communications Magazine (2022-now), IEEE Network (2021-now), IEEE Internet of Things Magazine (2021-now), and the lead guest editor for the IEEE Network special issue on “The Interplay Between Generative AI and 5G-Advanced toward 6G” and IEEE Communications Magazine feature topic on “Digital Twins Meet Artificial Intelligence in 6G.” He was recognized as an exemplary editor of the IEEE Internet of Things Magazine (2021 & 2022) and IEEE Network (2022). He is an IET Fellow. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, USA. 

  • Date: 7 July 2023, 13.00 – 14.00 AEST (Sydney time)

Recording: link

Slides: NA

Speakers:  Prof. Dusit Niyato (Nanyang Technology University, Singapore) and Dr. Dinh Thai Hoang (University of Technology Sydney, Australia) 

Title: Unleashing the Power of Mobile Edge-Cloud Generative AI Services and AIGC Networks

Abstract: Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) is an automated method for generating, manipulating, and modifying valuable and diverse data using AI algorithms creatively. As the next generation of wireless communication, 6G networks are expected to provide unprecedented speed, capacity, and connectivity. AIGC can enhance various aspects of 6G networks, bringing numerous benefits and driving innovation across industries. This talk aims to on the deployment of AIGC applications, e.g., ChatGPT, at mobile edge networks, i.e., mobile AIGC networks that provide personalized and customized AIGC services in real-time while maintaining user privacy. We begin by introducing the background and fundamentals of generative models and the lifecycle of AIGC services at mobile AIGC networks, which includes data collection, training, fine-tuning, inference, and product management. We then discuss the collaborative cloud-edge-mobile infrastructure and technologies required to support AIGC services and enable users to access AIGC at mobile edge networks. Furthermore, we explore AIGC-driven creative applications and use cases for mobile AIGC networks. We highlight future research directions and open issues for fully realizing mobile AIGC networks.

Bio: Dusit Niyato (Nanyang Technology University, Singapore) is a professor in the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He received B.E. from King Mongkuk’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Thailand in 1999 and Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2008. Dusit’s research interests are in the areas of distributed collaborative machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), edge intelligent metaverse, mobile and distributed computing, and wireless  networks. Dusit won the Best Young Researcher Award of IEEE Communications Society (ComSoc) Asia Pacific and The 2011 IEEE Communications Society Fred W. Ellersick Prize Paper Award and the IEEE Computer Society Middle Career Researcher Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing in 2021 and Distinguished Technical Achievement Recognition Award of IEEE ComSoc Technical Committee on Green Communications and Computing 2022. Dusit also won a number of best paper awards including IEEE Wireless Communications and Networking Conference (WCNC), IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC), IEEE ComSoc Communication Systems Integration and Modelling Technical Committee and IEEE ComSoc Signal Processing and Computing for Communications Technical Committee 2021. Currently, Dusit is serving as Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials, an area editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology, editor of IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications, associate editor of IEEE Internet of Things Journal, IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, IEEE Wireless Communications, IEEE Network, and ACM Computing Surveys. He was a guest editor of IEEE Journal on Selected Areas on Communications. He was a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Communications Society for 2016-2017. He was named the 2017-2021 highly cited researcher in computer science. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of IET.

Dinh Thai Hoang (University of Technology Sydney, Australia) received his Ph.D. degree from the School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, in 2016. He is currently a faculty member at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Australia. Over the last ten years, he has significantly contributed to advanced wireless communications and networking systems. His excellent record evidence this with one patent filed by Apple Inc., three books, eight book chapters, nearly 80 IEEE Q1 journals, and more than 60 flagship IEEE conference papers in communications and networking. Most of his journal papers have been published in top IEEE journals, including IEEE JSAC, IEEE TWC, IEEE COMST, and IEEE TMC. Furthermore, his research papers have had a high impact, evidenced by more than 11,000 citations (according to Google Scholar) over the last ten years. Since joining UTS in 2018, he has received more than AUD 3 million in external funding and several precious awards, including the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for his project “Intelligent Backscatter Communications for Green and Secure IoT Networks” and IEEE TCSC Award for Excellence in Scalable Computing for Contributions on “Intelligent Mobile Edge Computing Systems” (Early Career Researcher). Alternatively, he is the lead author of two authored books, “Ambient Backscatter Communication Networks,” published by Cambridge Publisher in 2020 and “Deep Reinforcement Learning for Wireless Communications and Networking,” published by IEEE-Wiley Publisher in 2022. He is currently an Editor of IEEE COMST, IEEE TMC, IEEE TWC, IEEE TVT, and IEEE TCCN. 

  • Date and time: May 16, 4 PM AEST.

Recording: link

Slides: NA

Speaker: Dr Volker Ziegler, Senior Technology Advisor & Chief Architect, Nokia 

Bio: Volker is an energetic, strategic and purpose-driven leader with 25+ years of broad and international experience in the telecommunications industry. He currently serves as Senior Technology Advisor and Chief Architect in Nokia Strategy and Technology unit. Previously, Volker has exercised a leadership role with Nokia Bell Labs in 6G research and ecosystem. Prior to this, he has served as Head of 5G Leadership and Chief Architect of Nokia Mobile Networks. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/volker-ziegler-92260b46/

Title: Path to 6G and Security, Privacy and Trust for the 6G Era 

Abstract: The Nokia 6G vision is to connect digital, physical and human worlds to unleash the innate potential of human beings. The associated transformation will require new network capabilities. Wireless system design principles will include not only aspects of capacity and throughput, reliability and latency, as well as scale and flexibility but also value drivers such as sustainability, digital inclusion, and security and trust. While 6G will be evolutionary, the technology required to get there will be revolutionary: Six key technology areas for the 6G essential infrastructure will be presented in this talk. One of the key technology areas is 6G security, privacy, and trust to address the ever-expanding threat vectors. Security foundations for 5G and their ongoing evolution will be briefly revisited prior to analyzing security in the 6G era of architectural decomposition. 6G technology enablers and AI/ML to support objectives of trust, privacy, and resilience will be presented. Automated SW creation shows promising potential for a 6G era of SW quality and integrity. Automated distributed cognitive closed-loop security operations and analytics of 6G networks will become the norm. Novel technologies such as multi-party compute, federated learning, and homomorphic encryption across devices, subnetworks and heterogeneous multi-cloud will be leveraged for privacy preservation; sensor data can be routed by the network to a security application for data sanitisation and for privacy preservation. Hardware-based 6G anchors of trust are the starting point for transitive trust coverage and attestation. Jamming resilient air interfaces is a pre-requisite for 6G era sub-networks. Distributed ledger technologies will enable transparent transactional trust in 6G devices and heterogeneous multi-cloud environments. To shape the 6G future, the collaboration will be key. Pre- competitive joint 6G research and collaboration will help drive the joint global agenda of research and dissemination.

  • Date and Time:  April 18, 10 AM – 11 AM AEST (Sydney time). 

Recording: 6G Security and Privacy Series Seminar 18/04/23 (csiro.au)

Slides: NA

Speaker: Elisa Bertino, Samuel Conte Professor of Computer Science, Purdue University 

Title: Security of Cellular Networks 
 
Abstract: As the world moves to 5G cellular networks and next-generation is being envisioned , security is of paramount importance, and new tools are needed to ensure it. In the talk, after discussing motivating trends in wireless communications, we present LTEInspector a model-based testing approach for cellular network protocols. LTEInspector combines a symbolic model checker and a cryptographic protocol verifier in the symbolic attacker model. Using it, we uncovered 10 new attacks along with 9 prior attacks, categorized into three abstract classes (i.e., security, user privacy, and disruption of service), in three procedures of 4G LTE.  We then present results obtained by 5GReasoner, which extends the 5GReasoner to 5G protocols. 
We then overview on-going research projects and conclude with a discussion of 5G threat vectors and corresponding security pillars.  
 
Bio: Elisa Bertino is Samuel Conte professor of Computer Science at Purdue University. She serves as Director of the Purdue Cyberspace Security Lab (Cyber2Slab). Prior to joining Purdue, she was a professor and department head at the Department of Computer Science and Communication of the University of Milan. She has been a visiting researcher at the IBM Research Laboratory in San Jose (now Almaden), at Rutgers University, and at Telcordia Technologies. She has also held visiting professor positions at the Singapore National University and the Singapore Management University.  Her main research interests include security, privacy, database systems, distributed systems, and sensor networks. Her recent research focuses on cybersecurity and privacy of cellular networks and IoT systems, and on edge analytics for cybersecurity.  Elisa Bertino is a Fellow member of  IEEE, ACM, and AAAS. She received the 2002 IEEE Computer Society Technical Achievement Award for “For outstanding contributions to database systems and database security and advanced data management systems,” the 2005 IEEE Computer Society Tsutomu Kanai Award for “Pioneering and innovative research contributions to secure distributed systems,” the 2019-2020 ACM Athena Lecturer Award, and the 2021 IEEE 2021 Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award. She received an Honorary Doctorate from Aalborg University in 2021. 

Keynote Launch

Date: 27 Feb 2023, 16.00-17.00 AEDT

Recording: https://webcast.csiro.au/#/videos/d15665d0-d93e-4257-8760-0243caca1509

Speaker: Mohan Rao, Corporate Vice President at Samsung Research India

Bio: Mohan Rao has extensive experience in 3GPP communication protocol development, commercialization, and standardization. He is leading a highly talented pool at Samsung that was involved in developing 3G and 4G phones. He has more than 39 years of experience at Samsung. Currently, he is the corporate vice president at Samsung Research India Bangalore.   

For details: https://in.linkedin.com/in/mohan-rao-8262a75?original_referer=

Abstract Ever since the World first 5G service got commercially launched in South Korea in the year 2019, the research community around the world started thinking on what lies beyond 5G. 5G standardization not only aimed to address the peak and average data rates but also the latency needs of various low latency use cases. 5G also considered the needs of machines as users apart from human needs. The trend of virtualisation & openness is gaining significant traction in 5G as virtual networks that can be deployed in cloud makes it easier to operate and scale up, scale down dynamically as per the needs. This further compounded by the trend of making networks intelligent will have a big role to play once the automation and scalability needs to happen on run-time in open cloud networks to ensure that the experience of multiple services is jointly optimized. On a whole, these trends are helping operators to reduce their operational expenses as well as capital expenses. While 5G is being democratised, 6G research is foraying into mainstream. 6G is expected to bring to life many new use-cases like immersive XR, holographic communication and digital replicas that are not possible with 5G at a commercial scale. It is paramount that a 6G system designed to cater to the stringent requirements while achieving extreme performance has to be built on the key pillars of foundational cloud-native, open network & AI-native technologies that are tied together with the unquestionable trustworthiness created by the underlying robust security & privacy that can stand the test of time in the 6G era.

Project Lead (Dr. Sharif Abuadbba) and Co-lead (Dr. Chandra Thapa)