As mobile networks evolve toward 6G, openness and flexibility are becoming core design principles. One major example of this shift is Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN). Instead of using traditional, “closed” network boxes from a single supplier, O-RAN built networks like a giant puzzle, assembling open, software-driven building blocks from multiple vendors.
While this openness drives innovation and competition, it also introduces new security challenges that must be carefully addressed.
This is the core mission of Proof of Concept 1 (PoC#1) within the European MARE project. Our goal? To study critical security attacks targeting these new open systems and explore how to detect and mitigate them before they cause harm.
Why O-RAN Security Matters
In traditional mobile networks, radio components are tightly integrated, locked, and centrally controlled by one single manufacturer. O-RAN changes the game by separating hardware from software, allowing different vendors to provide different pieces of the puzzle, from the radio units to the intelligent controllers. These components talk to each other through standardized, open interfaces.
While this modular approach increases flexibility and reduces costs, it also means that more interfaces are exposed, creating additional entry points for cyber threats. If these critical interfaces are compromised, essential services we rely on every day, such as mobile connectivity, emergency communications, or automated industrial applications, could be disrupted.
PoC#1 addresses this risk, by focusing on attacks that target critical O-RAN control and management functions.
What PoC#1 Investigates
PoC#1 examines how malicious actions could impact the network’s “brain”, the control plane responsible for making routing and operational decisions. These simulated attacks attempt to disrupt normal network behavior, degrade performance, or manipulate shared resources.
Rather than focusing on individual user devices, this PoC looks at attacks on the network infrastructure itself, where the consequences can be widespread. By replicating these hostile scenarios inside a secure, controlled control room environment, the MARE project can safely observe how the network reacts and pinpoint exactly where weaknesses exist.
Detecting and Responding to Attacks
A key goal of PoC#1 is to demonstrate how intelligent security monitoring can detect abnormal behavior in real time.
When something unusual happens, such as unexpected control messages or abnormal traffic patterns between components, the monitoring system instantly flags the threat. Once detected, the system triggers automated protective actions – isolating the affected building block, limiting the impact of the attack, and alerting network operators. This response ensures that the network remains operational even under hostile conditions.
Supporting Trust in Open Networks
PoC#1 contributes directly to one of MARE’s central goals – building absolute trust in future open and programmable networks. O-RAN is expected to be the bedrock of 6G, but its success depends on strong, built-in security mechanisms that can keep pace with its flexibility.
By identifying realistic attack scenarios and validating robust protection mechanisms, PoC#1 helps ensure that openness does not come at the cost of reliability or safety.
A Foundation for Secure 6G Infrastructure
The results of PoC#1 provide valuable insights for network operators, vendors, and researchers working with next-generation technologies. It proves that critical network functions can be shielded, and that security can be embedded directly into the fabric of future architectures.
Within the broader MARE project, PoC#1 lays the groundwork for secure, resilient and trustworthy 6G radio networks, proving that we can embrace open innovation while remaining completely robust against evolving cyber threats.
