Panel

Building Trust in 6G: Security and Privacy Insights from Leading European Projects

Abstract: As mobile networks evolve towards 6G, ensuring robust security and privacy is essential to maintaining trust and reliability in future digital services. This panel offers a comprehensive overview of the security and privacy visions for 6G networks from the perspective of the European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS-JU). SNS-JU, a leading Public-Private Partnership, encompasses numerous influential EU research projects shaping Europe’s strategic direction in next-generation networks.
The session will feature representatives from four key SNS-JU funded projects, each addressing different facets of 6G security and privacy. For comprehension, an additional leading Horizon Europe project on the topic of post-quantum security is also involved. Attendees will gain insights into the latest advancements, challenges, and future directions in securing 6G networks. This panel will significantly contribute to the global discourse on 6G security and privacy, providing attendees with the knowledge to navigate and influence this rapidly evolving field.

The scope and aim of the panel program is in alignment with the SNS JU 6G Flagship project Hexa-X-II.

Moderator:

Dr. Bin Han received his B.E. degree in 2009 from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and his M.Sc. degree in 2012 from Darmstadt University of Technology, Germany. In 2016 he was granted the Ph.D. (Dr.-Ing.) degree from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, and joined RPTU since then. In 2023 he was granted the teaching license (Venia Legendi) by RPTU, and therewith became Privatdozent. He is the author of two books, six book chapters, and over 70 research papers. He has participated in multiple EU FP7, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe research projects. He is Editorial Board Member for Network and Guest Editor for Electronics. He has served in organizing committee and/or TPC for IEEE GLOBECOM, IEEE ICC, EuCNC, European Wireless, and ITC. He is actively involved in the IEEE Standards Association Working Groups P2303, P3106, and P3454. He is a Senior Member of IEEE.

Hexa-X-II is the SNS-JU flagship project leads the way in end-to-end system design and enabling platforms for 6G, with a strong emphasis on defining secure and trustworthy 6G architectures and services. (https://hexa-x-ii.eu/)

Panelists:

Dr.  Ioannis Markopoulos is the EU & International Business Development Director in NOVA. He holds an Electrical Engineering Degree and PHD from the National Technical University of Athens. He has extensive participation in EU and local R&D projects as well as in commercial projects in the areas of 5G private networks and services, dataspaces, security, IT services cloudification & modernization, and large ICT solutions. He has led the 5G-PPP task force on mapping network KPIs and the respective White Paper. He also leads the Open Calls SNS JU Task Force. He is collaborating with the Association of ICT Companies in Greece contributing to reports for the forthcoming national ICT strategy. He is a member of the Technical Chamber in Greece and PMI certified.

The ACROSS project aims at developing a secure, end-to-end network and service management platform that increases security and trust across distributed edge-to-core deployments, and employing AI-driven zero-touch mechanisms. (https://across-he.eu/)

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Prof. Fabrizio Granelli is Full Professor at the Dept. of Information Engineering and  Computer Science (DISI) of the University of Trento (Italy). He received the «Laurea» (M.Sc.) and Ph.D. degree from the University of Genoa, Italy, in 1997 and 2001, respectively. He was visiting professor at the State University of Campinas (Brasil) and at the University of Tokyo (Japan). He was IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer for the period 2012-15 and 2021-23 (4 terms), ComSoc Director for Online Content in 2016-17, Delegate for Education at DISI in 2015-2017, IEEE ComSoc Director for Educational Services (2018-19) and IEEE ComSoc Director for Conference Development (2022-23). Prof. Granelli was General Chair or TPC Chair of several prestigious IEEE conferences, such as IEEE Globecom, IEEE NFV-SDN, IEEE CAMAD, and chaired several symposia at IEEE ICC and Globecom. He is Founding Chair of the Aerial Communication Emerging Technology Initiative of IEEE Communications Society and Chair of the IEEE P1954 Standard Working Group. He is author or co-author of more than 270 papers published in international journals, books and conferences. He was Associate Editor in Chief of IEEE Communications Surveys and Tutorials (2017-2022), and Senior Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Green Communications and Networking.

The HORSE project is proposing a human-centric, open-source, and sustainable evolutionary platform that seamlessly integrates advancements in security, privacy, and trust domains for smart connectivity and service management in 6G. (https://www.horse-6g.eu/)

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Prof. Antonio Skarmeta received the M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Granada and B.S. (Hons.) and the Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from the University of Murcia Spain. Since 2009 he is Full Professor at the same department and University. Antonio F. Skarmeta has worked on different research projects in the national and international area in the networking, security and IoT and 5G area, like ENABLE, DAIDALOS, SWIFT, SEMIRAMIS, SMARTIE, SOCIOTAL and IoT6 and involved in 5GInspireplus, 5GMobix, GN4+, CyberSec4Europe and BIECO. He coordinated the H2020 project IoTCrawler focusing on IoT advanced discovery on IPv6 networks and OLYMPUS on privacy preserving IdM, and now the 6G-SNS RIGOUROUS and the HE CERTIFY. He has been chair of several conference and workshop, with special attention to IEEE 5GWF and now the IEEE Future Networks World Forum.

The RIGOUROUS project is identifying and addressing major cybersecurity, trust, and privacy risks across the IoT-Edge-Cloud continuum, with a focus on holistic security orchestration, anomaly detection, and mitigation strategies for 6G. (https://rigourous.eu/)

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Juan Morales Sáez holds a BS. in Electronic Engineering and a BS. Telematics Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He is currently part of the Transport & IP Networks team at Telefónica Global CTIO. Throughout his career, has been involved in several Spanish and European innovation projects related to Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), contributing to the deployment, expansion, and hybridization of these technologies within classical networks. In addition, he actively works in PoCs with different clients, driving the implementation of innovative solutions in real scenarios. He also participates in the ETSI ISG QKD standardization group, where he contributes to the development and improvement of new and existing standards for QKD technologies, promoting their practical advancement.

QSNP is a European Quantum Flagship project that aims  to develop quantum cryptography technology to secure the transmission of information over the internet. QSNP will contribute to the European sovereignty in quantum technology for cybersecurity protecting the privacy and the sensitive information of European citizens transmitted over the internet. (https://qsnp.eu/)