It hasn’t been that long since the launch of 5G networks, and yet researchers are already working on the sixth generation of mobile network technology. The new network, which isn’t due to be introduced until 2030, will be even more efficient, with data transfer rates in the terabits-per-second range of. This will facilitate the development of novel and sophisticated applications, including autonomous robotic surgery, the Internet of Things (IoT), authentic virtual reality (VR), sustainable smart city design and autonomous transport. 6G will further blur the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. However, the dynamic and complex architecture of the network also increases the risk of cyberattacks; in addition to the loss of data, money and property, life-threatening attacks on connected and automated vehicles, as well as networked machines, are conceivable.

Innovative security solutions

These are the challenges that the EU project NATWORK (Net-Zero self-adaptive activation of distributed self-resilient augmented services) will tackle. The project, in which researchers from the ZHAW School of Engineering are collaborating with 13 other partners, focuses on the so-called Moving Target Defense (MTD) techniques that protect networks, computer systems and data by constantly changing the attack surface. According to Gürkan Gür from the Institute of Computer Science, the researchers are also working on improving energy efficiency, security and the resilience of AI models. “6G is about developing resilient digital services that form the backbone of our daily lives.”