@article{mehrbanIntegratingZeroTrust2025,

title = {Integrating Zero Trust Architecture in O-RAN: A Comprehensive Survey and Analysis},

author = {A. Mehrban and Z. Abou El Houda and H. Moudoud and L. Le Bao},

url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025432034?origin=resultslist},

doi = {10.1109/OJCOMS.2025.3644132},

issn = {2644125X (ISSN)},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-01},

journal = {IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society},

volume = {6},

pages = {10465–10495},

publisher = {Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.},

abstract = {Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) is a new approach to mobile networks that disaggregates the network architecture into multi-vendor interoperable physical and software-defined network components connected through standardized open interfaces. This architecture enables deploying solutions on cloud-native platforms and boosting Artificial Intelligence(AI)-driven automation for network optimization. Despite the benefits of O-RAN’s heterogeneous and multi-vendor architecture, this approach inevitably enlarges the attack surface and introduces additional trust boundaries, which imminently threaten the uniformity of network performance. This also justifies the necessity of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles as a countermeasure, securing all network components, interfaces, and data flows. This survey shows how ZTA tenets can be integrated into O-RAN settings, contributing in three key areas: (1) a novel ZTA-to-O-RAN mapping model that explicitly places Policy Engine (PE), Policy Administrator (PA), and Policy Enforcement Points (PEPs) across RIC layers (Non-RT/Near-RT RIC), standardized interfaces (A1/E2/O1/O2), and disaggregated RAN functions (O-DU/O-CU/O-RU); (2) a Risk-Adaptive Access Control (RAdAC) framework that dynamically modulates verification depth based on contextual risk; and (3) integration of blockchain-based decentralized identity management with smart-contract-driven authorization for xApp/rApp lifecycle security. © 2020 IEEE.},

keywords = {6g network, 6G networks, Access control, Data flow analysis, Intelligent controllers, Interoperability, Mobile telecommunication systems, Multi-vendor, Network architecture, Network components, Network security, New approaches, Open radio access network, open radio access network (O-RAN), Radio access networks, RAN intelligent controller, RAN intelligent controller (RIC), Smart contract, Survey and analysis, Trusted computing, Vendor interoperability, Zero trust architecture, Zero trust architecture (ZTA)},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}