Sotiris Michaelides

2025

1. FGCS

   Secure Integration of 5G in Industrial Networks: State of the Art, Challenges and Opportunities

   Sotiris Michaelides, Stefan Lenz, Thomas Vogt, and Martin Henze

   Future Generation Computer Systems, May 2025

   Abs Bib PDF DOI

   The industrial landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, moving away from traditional wired fieldbus networks to cutting-edge 5G mobile networks. This transition, extending from local applications to company-wide use and spanning multiple factories, is driven by the promise of low-latency communication and seamless connectivity for various devices in industrial settings. However, besides these tremendous benefits, the integration of 5G as the communication infrastructure in industrial networks introduces a new set of risks and threats to the security of industrial systems. The inherent complexity of 5G systems poses unique challenges for ensuring a secure integration, surpassing those encountered with any technology previously utilized in industrial networks. Most importantly, the distinct characteristics of industrial networks, such as real-time operation, required safety guarantees, and high availability requirements, further complicate this task. As the industrial transition from wired to wireless networks is a relatively new concept, a lack of guidance and recommendations on securely integrating 5G renders many industrial systems vulnerable and exposed to threats associated with 5G. To address this situation, in this paper, we summarize the state-of-the-art and derive a set of recommendations for the secure integration of 5G into industrial networks based on a thorough analysis of the research landscape. Furthermore, we identify opportunities to utilize 5G to enhance security and indicate remaining challenges, identifying future academic directions.

   @article{michaelides2025industry5G,
     author = {Michaelides, Sotiris and Lenz, Stefan and Vogt, Thomas and Henze, Martin},
     title = {{Secure Integration of 5G in Industrial Networks: State of the Art, Challenges and Opportunities}},
     journal = {Future Generation Computer Systems},
     doi = {10.1016/j.future.2024.107645},
     volume = {166},
     year = {2025},
   }

2024

1. ACNS Poster

   Towards Secure 5G Infrastructures for Production Systems

   Martin Henze, Maximilian Ortmann, Thomas Vogt, Osman Ugus, Kai Hermann, Svenja Nohr, Zeren Lu, Sotiris Michaelides, Angela Massonet, and Robert H. Schmitt

   In Proceedings of the 22nd Conference on Applied Cryptography and Network Security (ACNS) – Poster Session, Mar 2024

   Abs Bib PDF DOI

   To meet the requirements of modern production, industrial communication increasingly shifts from wired fieldbus to wireless 5G communication. Besides tremendous benefits, this shift introduces severe novel risks, ranging from limited reliability over new security vulnerabilities to a lack of accountability. To address these risks, we present approaches to (i) prevent attacks through authentication and redundant communication, (ii) detect anomalies and jamming, and (iii) respond to detected attacks through device exclusion and accountability measures.

   @inproceedings{henze2024sierra,
     author = {Henze, Martin and Ortmann, Maximilian and Vogt, Thomas and Ugus, Osman and Hermann, Kai and Nohr, Svenja and Lu, Zeren and Michaelides, Sotiris and Massonet, Angela and Schmitt, Robert H.},
     title = {{Towards Secure 5G Infrastructures for Production Systems}},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 22nd Conference on Applied Cryptography and Network Security (ACNS) – Poster Session},
     doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-61489-7_14},
     year = {2024}
   }

2023

1. WiSec Poster

   POSTER: Developing an ORAN Security Test Lab

   Sotiris Michaelides, David Rupprecht, and Katharina Kohls

   In Proceedings of the 16th ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks (WiSec), May 2023

   Abs Bib PDF

   Open Radio Access Networks (ORAN) is a new architectural approach, having been proposed only a few years ago, and it is an expansion of the current Next Generation Radio Access Networks (NG-RAN) of 5G. ORAN aims to break this closed RAN market that is controlled by a handful of vendors, by implementing open interfaces between the different Radio Access Networks (RAN) components, and by introducing moderen technologies to the RAN like machine learning, virtualization, and disaggregation. However, the architectural design of ORAN was recently causing concerns and debates about its security, which is considered one of its major drawbacks. Several theoretical risk analyses related to ORAN have been conducted, but to the best of our knowledge, not even a single practical one has been performed yet. In this poster, we discuss and propose a way for a minimal, future-proof deployment of an ORAN 5G network, able to accommodate various hands-on security analyses for its different elements.

   @inproceedings{michaelides2023oran,
     author = {Michaelides, Sotiris and Rupprecht, David and Kohls, Katharina},
     booktitle = {Proceedings of the 16th ACM Conference on Security and Privacy in Wireless and Mobile Networks (WiSec)},
     title = {POSTER: Developing an ORAN Security Test Lab},
     year = {2023},
     publisher = {ACM},
   }