Europe Seeks to Advance 6G Security, Privacy

Critical Infrastructure Security , Geo-Specific Europe Seeks to Advance 6G Security, Privacy EU Projects Seek to Protect Fast New Network, Secure Information Sharing David Meyer • June 22, 2026     Credit Eligible Get Permission Image: Shutterstock The mobile communications technology known as 6G still hasn’t been standardized and its earliest commercial deployments are years away. But Europe is investing early in preparing for the next telecoms revolution - and the inevitable cybersecurity problems bundled into it. See Also: Expert Panel | ANZ's Guide to Data Classification: The Foundation of Cybersecurity Compliance As was the case with 4G and 5G connectivity, 6G will deliver higher speeds and allow more connections from a growing range of devices. As before, equipment vendors are talking enthusiastically about connecting masses of autonomous vehicles and enabling remote surgery. But unlike before, artificial intelligence is very much in the mix, as a tool for managing networks and as a key set of use cases for them, such as the ability to train models within the network as data flows in from connected devices and sensors. AI will also make it easier for attackers to find vulnerabilities in the network and exploit them, making network security an even more onerous task. So, when the European Commission announced 116 million euros - $133 million - in funding for 20 6G research and development efforts back in March, two of the lucky projects were centered on cybersecurity. Both have revealed more about their missions in recent days. First out of the gate was SHIELD-6G, an AI-infused threat intelligence platform largely developed at University College Dublin, with 8 million euros in funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe program. The PAISES-6G project, which has the same amount of EU funding, followed suit last week - this one, led by University Carlos III in Madrid, also covers threat detection, albeit with more of a focus on new infrastructural capabilities that 6G may usher in. SHIELD-6G consortium leader Madhusanka Liyanage, a professor at University College Dublin’s computer science school, told ISMG that his project’s main goal is to create a platform that can collect security-related information from different layers of the 6G network - device, radio, core, application - and work out how attacks might take place. "We will be showcasing how the [cyberthreat intelligence] information is used to design a new security solution on top of the 6G network, which is compatible with the 6G requirements and architecture," he said Monday. The project will also aim to help network operators prepare for and recover from cyberattacks through the use of digital twins. SHIELD-6G participant MBP Systems, a University College Dublin spin-out, will build on the digital twin platform provided by another consortium member, Viavi. "We try to deploy honeypots inside the digital twin so we can attract the attackers and see how the attack is propagating and what kind of damage it’s doing, so we can pre-plan the best mitigation actions," said Liyanage, a co-founder of MBP. At least in the early days of 6G, the plan is to have the technology reuse much of the infrastructure that has already been deployed for 5G. Apart from speeding up 6G deployment, this also makes sense because, as Liyanage puts it, the incoming generation will "enable 5G promises" that fell short. Current networks don’t actually have the management smarts to make things like drone-based deliveries and autonomous vehicles a commonplace reality, and 6G will supposedly use AI to do just that. Future 6G antennas will also feature wireless sensing capabilities, using radio frequencies to detect, identify and track physical entities in the vicinity (see: Wi-Fi Beamforming Tech Can Identify Individuals by Gait). Doing this in a privacy-friendly way is a key focus for the Spanish project, PAISES-6G. Project coordinator Pablo Serrano said Wednesday that wireless sensing "opens up enormous possibilities, such as monitoring a patient at home without them wearing any sensors." But, he added, "it also poses serious risks: who controls that information? Can the network 'spy' on us?" The PAISES-6G project is working on secure, quantum-resistant data-sharing mechanisms that should make the sensing capability "secure and only accessible to those who have permission to use it… even enabling users to make themselves invisible," Serrano said. The team is also working on developing AI agents that can proactively and autonomously monitor networks for threats. There is a risk of overlap between the two EU-funded 6G security projects, particularly as SHIELD-6G will also focus on privacy in the collection of network data. Liyanage said the two teams have established contact and will probably meet in July to "synchronize and understand what kind of work we are going to do." Shared members such as Telefónica should also provide a natural bridge between the projects - and, along with SHIELD-6G members such as Ericsson and Nokia, to the 6G standardization process. This is one way in which the EU will hope to see these investments pay off. Telecom standardization is always a geopolitically competitive affair. The United States wants to be the leader in 6G development. So does China, which may stand a better chance thanks to its historical leadership in 5G deployment - plus the fact that it’s reportedly responsible for most of the world’s 6G patent applications. Europe is also a significant player in the field, and the projects it is funding will likely influence how the 6G standards pan out over the coming years. "The AI Act is directly influencing the standardization process," said Liyanage, referring to the EU’s weighty rulebook for AI systems, much of which is coming into force this year. Some of the law’s strictest requirements are for AI systems that are used to manage critical infrastructure, such as telecoms networks, making cybersecurity a compliance imperative (see: Europe Moves to Delay and Dilute AI Regulations). Similarly, enabling compliance with the EU’s strict data-protection laws is a key driver behind the projects’ shared focus on collecting threat data in a privacy-preserving way, Liyanage said. "This is one of the key goals of the SHIELD-6G project - how we can design an ethically and regulatory compatible security solution that can be deployed safely. Because otherwise, the security solution we are deploying in the 6G network will be highly penalized," he added, noting that General Data Protection Act violations run to 4% of global annual revenues, while AI Act violations can theoretically go as high as 7%.