Defence of doctoral thesis in the field of Telecommunications Software, Lic.Sc. (Tech) Jani Suomalainen

5G networks and beyond provide a path toward new applications and increased quality and cost-efficiency of services. But how is the cybersecurity of mobile networks evolving? The evolution in 5G and 6G networks is driven by vulnerabilities in previous generations, the need to address insider threats, diverse requirements from different user sectors, as well as opportunities and challenges arising from the emerging technologies. For new users, such as industry and public safety authorities, transitions from own dedicated network infrastructures to commercial networks and 3GPP-based technologies mean large changes also from the security perspective. The transition enables cost-efficiency and new user applications but changes the threat landscape and increases the risks of disturbances and information leaking. To manage the growing complexity and threat landscape, we need intelligent defense solutions, capability to achieve security goals in different situations with the optimal use of resources.

This dissertation explores requirements and solutions for customizing network security for different applications and for enabling active defenses. The dissertation includes articles, which analyze selected concepts and enablers for intelligent security. Literature analyses focus on special challenges in communications for public safety authorities as well as new threats arising from the use of machine learning. The enablers include micro-segmentation, which is a method for creating fine-grained logical network slices on top of a shared infrastructure. A designed intelligent security approach for micro-segmentation is based on software networks and continuous learning. Adaptive pseudonymization is an example of the use of real-time threat analysis to adapt active security and privacy defenses. Tactical bubbles are rapidly deployable networks, which are targeted for public safety users and which can be isolated from the commercial infrastructure by logical and physical solutions. The explored use cases provide examples of how the security of mobile communication networks can be adapted to fulfill the needs of different applications and how security resources can be focused on security-critical communications.

Opponent: Professor Simone Fischer-Hübner, Karlstad University, Sweden

Custos: Professor Tuomas Aura, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Computer Science

Contact details of the doctoral student: [email protected]

The public defence will be organised on campus and via Zoom. Link to the event

The thesis is publicly displayed 10 days before the defence in the publication archive Aaltodoc of Aalto University. 

Electronic thesis