Security Requirements and Challenges of 6G Technologies and Applications

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Cybersecurity
• Computer Science

Background:

• The advent of 5G technology has spurred research into 6th generation wireless networks (6G), anticipated for deployment around 2030.
• 6G aims to provide hyper-connectivity, extending mobile communication capabilities beyond current limitations.
• Emerging foundational technologies for 6G include post-quantum cryptography, AI, ML, edge computing, molecular communication, THz, VLC, and blockchain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide insights into the critical security, privacy, and trust issues of 6G networks.
• To clarify standard technologies and associated security challenges for 6G.
• To introduce a 6G security architecture and compare it with 5G architecture.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of security challenges posed by foundational 6G technologies.
• Examination of security issues and solutions in the 6G physical layer.
• Study of AI/ML layers and proposed security solutions within them.

Main Results:

• Identification of critical security, privacy, and trust problems in 6G networks.
• Clarification of security challenges inherent in 6G's foundational technologies.
• Introduction of a novel 6G security architecture with improvements over 5G.

Conclusions:

• 6G networks necessitate a reevaluation of traditional security methods due to new technologies.
• Novel approaches for authentication, encryption, access control, and threat detection are essential for 6G.
• This paper offers a comprehensive discussion on 6G trustworthiness and potential solutions.