Zero-Trust Security for 6G Network Slicing Under Quantum Adversary Threat Models

Abstract: Network slicing in 6G allows critical public safety, autonomous vehicle control, and consumer internet to share the same physical radio infrastructure. This paper details isolation proofs and continuous cryptographic verification preventing lateral movement between tenant slices.

1. Cryptographic Slice Isolation at the User Plane Function (UPF)

Tenant slices are partitioned not only by VLAN tags and GTP tunnel identifiers, but by independent post-quantum cryptographic contexts instantiated within hardware-enforced CPU enclaves. Even with physical access to hypervisor memory, cross-slice payload inspection is mathematically impossible.

2. Continuous Cryptographic Attestation via TPM 2.0 and ML-DSA

Base stations continuously stream PCR measurements signed by TPM-bound post-quantum ML-DSA keys to the zero-trust orchestrator. Any unauthorized software patch or memory modification triggers instantaneous slice revocation within 15 milliseconds.

3. Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Slice Performance Benchmarks

Benchmarking under 100 Gbps load confirms that post-quantum slicing incurs less than 45 microseconds of packet processing overhead, fully complying with 3GPP URLLC sub-millisecond round-trip budget requirements.

Запросить актив