iTrust6G: Zero-Trust Security for 6G Networks

The emergence of 6G networks is expected to bring forth a host of new technological advancements such as integrated radio systems, further network softwarisation, collaborations across multiple vendors, and artificial intelligence-led network governance. These developments are likely to expand the current scope of security threats by involving additional specialised stakeholders, thus requiring more advanced and multi-layered security measures. In this paper, we present iTrust6G’s multipronged approach for enabling "zero-trust" security for 6G networks. Our approach exploits a multi-faceted trust evaluation accounting for security posture of entities interacting with the network, threat intelligence sharing for fostering collaboration, and security orchestration for maintaining the security stance. A system security architecture is proposed that leverages zero-trust principles to ensure an end-to-end trustworthy 6G system. Furthermore, a set of use-cases serving as evaluation playground for this reference architecture is proposed in the light of the next generation of software networks.