Securing Next-Gen Wireless Networks Against AI and Quantum Threats

Artificial intelligence could help next-generation wireless networks adapt to changing conditions and detect security threats, but expanding AI’s role in critical network functions also creates new vulnerabilities that attackers could exploit. Dr. Imtiaz Karim, assistant professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Dallas, is developing tools to protect the next generation of cellular networks against emerging threats, including those associated with AI and quantum computing.

Karim received a $307,250 award for the project through the National Science Foundation’s Verticals-enabling Intelligent Network Systems (VINES) program. The award is part of a $1.2 million collaboration with the University of South Florida and Purdue University, with Karim serving as principal investigator for the UT Dallas research. The project, titled “Quantum-Ready and AI-Enabled by Design: Resilient and Deployable Next-Gen Cellular Networks,” brings together researchers with expertise in cybersecurity, postquantum cryptography, AI and wireless systems.

“We want security and trustworthiness to be built into next-generation networks from the beginning,” Karim said. “That means developing networks that can take advantage of AI while protecting the security and privacy of the systems that depend on them. We call this approach quantum-ready, AI-enabled next-generation networks.”

As next-generation networks connect phones, cars, hospitals, emergency services and smart-city systems, the research addresses two emerging security challenges: preparing for the potential security risks posed by quantum computing and securing networks as AI takes on a larger role in their operation. Quantum computers potentially could break some encryption currently used to protect communications. To address that challenge, Karim’s group is developing postquantum cryptography, or security designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers. Although postquantum cryptographic techniques have been developed, Karim noted that these methods can be too computationally demanding for real-time cellular networks. His team is working on new techniques that can provide security while maintaining the speed and scalability needed for cellular communications.

The team is also developing security protocols and machine-learning techniques designed to detect network intrusions, protect sensitive data and help ensure the integrity of AI systems. “Deployment is a big part of my research,” Karim said. “We actually design and deploy this on a 5G test bed that we have built in our lab. It tests whether the protocols are deployable and secure for practical use, and can push changes directly to the 6G standards.”

Karim pointed to a 2025 malware attack on South Korean mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. as an example of the potential consequences of cybersecurity threats to cellular networks. The incident affected tens of millions of users and resulted in nearly $100 million in fines for the company.

During the three-year VINES project, researchers at the three universities will develop and test the security technologies on a shared experimental platform designed to evaluate their performance in next-generation wireless systems. “These networks connect billions of everyday devices,” said Karim, who leads the System and Network Security lab in the Jonsson School. “As society becomes increasingly dependent on wireless connectivity, these systems must remain trustworthy even when attackers attempt to steal information, impersonate legitimate users, disrupt communications or exploit AI tools. We expect our research will help address these emerging threats.”

Karim, who joined the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science in 2025, designs and tests protocols and systems, working with doctoral students Fatema Tuj Johora, Mashroor Hasan Bhuiyan, Ramkrishna Saha and Md Nahiyan Uddin on an agentic security test bed that evaluates the resilience and security of wireless networks.

Subject of Research: Postquantum cryptography and AI security for next-generation cellular networks

Article Title: Researchers aim to secure wireless networks as AI evolves

Article References: Researchers aim to secure wireless networks as AI evolves. Original publication (Bibliographic details unavailable.)

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: Not provided

Keywords: wireless networks, postquantum cryptography, artificial intelligence, cellular networks, 5G, 6G, cybersecurity, NSF funding, network security, quantum computing, Researchers, secure