Deception Techniques for Advanced Cybersecurity in 5G/6G and Beyond Networks

Dear Colleagues,

The amount of data transferred through computer networks is growing every day. Hence, these networks as well as the Internet of things (IoT) and 5G/6G are becoming favorable targets for cyber adversaries. Unknown and zero-day attacks are hard to detect, and many unknown attacks are complex enough to be easily mitigated. Therefore, computer networks require defensive mechanisms one step ahead of the adversary. Deception techniques, especially honeypots, are a good candidate in this regard.

Deception techniques are methods used to mislead or manipulate an adversary by creating false impressions, diverting attention, or concealing true intentions. These techniques include tactics such as camouflage, misdirection, deception to hide or conceal the truth, disinformation and falsification to spread false information, and the manipulation or obfuscation of time to confuse or overwhelm a target. They are widely used in fields such as military strategy, cyber security, and psychological operations, often combining multiple techniques to achieve the desired result of misleading or outmaneuvering the adversary.

Deception techniques such as (camouflage, misdirection, feints, decoys, dazzle or confusion tactics, disinformation, masking, double agents, spoofing, honey or honeypots traps, red herrings, obfuscation, and time manipulation) can be applied in the context of 5G networks, particularly in cybersecurity and network management. For example, honeypots are deceptive decoys that pretend to be a productive asset in the network. They can attract adversaries by mimicking vulnerable services. Since legitimate users do not connect to the honeypots, whenever a connection is established, it always an adversary. The honeypots can waste the adversary’s time and resources and collect threat information and patterns.  

This Special Issue invites the researchers to present their ideas for improving the deception techniques for advanced cybersecurity in 5G/6G and Beyond networks. Using these techniques can enhance the security, resilience, and reliability of Beyond networks by making it harder for attackers to understand, predict, or exploit the network environment. Some approaches, such as machine learning methods, optimization algorithms, and mathematical models, can be utilized.  

   The topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Utilizing Machine Learning techniques to improve deception techniques performance;
• Optimizing the number and types of decoys deployed in Beyond networks;
• Improving the deception techniques using game theory models;
• Using the potential of software-defined networking technology for cybersecurity in Beyond networks;
• Presenting a mathematical model for deception techniques in Beyond networks;
• Reviewing the Anti-Deception techniques and their vulnerabilities;           
• Proposing combined deception techniques based on Artificial Intelligence.

Prof. Dr. Tarik Taleb
Dr. Amir Javadpour
Dr. Chafika Benzaïd
Guest Editors

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• deception techniques, cybersecurity, Beyond networks