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International Conference on Computational Intelligence, Security, and Artificial Intelligence (IntelliSecAI)

Quantum-Resilient Threat Modelling for Secure RIS-Assisted ISAC in 6G UAV Corridors

Sanaa Hafeez, Ghulam E Mustafa Abro, Hifza Mustafa

Published Dec 17, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The swift implementation of unmanned aerial ve- hicle (UAV) corridors in sixth-generation (6G) networks necessi- tates safe, intelligence-driven integrated sensing and communications (ISAC). Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) improve spectrum efficiency, localisation precision, and situational awareness, while also introducing new vulnerabilities. The emergence of quantum computing heightens hazards associated with harvest-now, decrypt-later tactics and quantum-enhanced spoofing. We propose a quantum-resilient threat modelling (QRTM) framework for RIS-assisted ISAC in UAV corridors to tackle these problems. QRTM integrates classical, quantum-ready, and quantum-aided adversaries, addressing them with post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) primitives: ML-KEM for key establishment and Falcon for authentication, both incorporated inside RIS control signalling and UAV coordination. To enhance security sensing, we present RIS-coded scene watermarking validated by a generalised likelihood ratio test (GLRT), with its detection probability characterised by a Marcum-Q function. Additionally, we establish a secure ISAC utility (SIU) that concurrently optimises secrecy rate, spoofing detection, and throughput within RIS limitations, facilitated by a scheduler with$O\left(n^{2}\right)$complexity. Monte Carlo evaluations utilising 3GPP Release-19 mid-band urban-canyon models$(7 - 15 \text{G H z})$reveal spoof-detection probability approaching 0.99 at$P_{\text{FA }}=10^{-3}$, secrecy-rate retention surpassing$90 \%$versus quantum-capable adversaries, and signal interference utilisation enhancements of around 25% relative to baselines. These findings underscore a standards-compliant approach to establishing a reliable, quantum-resilient ISAC for UAV corridors in smart cities and non-terrestrial networks.

DOI
10.1109/intellisecai66368.2025.11473060

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), as key enablers of 6G-enabled Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems, facilitate dynamic aerial coverage, seamless edge intelligence, and adaptive routing. However, despite these advantages, the reliability and trustworthiness of UAV swarms in 6G remain critical concerns due to rising quantum threats and limitations of traditional machine learning approaches. The paper presents QuaRTA-6G, a Quantum-Resilient, Trust-aware, and Accountable framework that provides a unified solution for 6G UAV swarms. QuaRTA-6G achieves security, trust, and efficiency by seamlessly combining post-quantum cryptography for secure communication, a decentralized ledger for identity and trust management, and Variational Quantum Federated Learning (VQFL) for efficient swarm intelligence. For quantum-resistant authentication and immutable UAV identity verification, QuaRTA-6G leverages CRYSTALS-Kyber with blockchain. Through simulations, QuaRTA-6G achieves secure authentication handshakes in under 2 ms and scales robustly to swarms of more than 100 UAVs, keeping high integrity even under 20% packet loss. Experiments demonstrate that, even under strong data poisoning attacks, the framework achieves 92% accuracy and 85% mission success rate, while comprehensive resource analysis confirms its feasibility across both standard and resource-constrained UAV platforms. Furthermore, an ablation study demonstrates that each module of QuaRTA-6G is essential for ensuring a responsible and trustworthy 6G UAV framework.
Physical layer security (PLS) is pivotal for beyond 5G networks in response to the escalating demand for secure and reliable communication across various applications, which remain susceptible to eavesdropping and computational attacks. This study presents an innovative aerial reconfigurable intelligent surface (A-RIS) assisted PLS scheme, wherein a RIS-equipped unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) amplifies the intended legitimate user's signal while concurrently attenuating the eavesdropper's signal to enhance the secrecy outage probability (SOP). We develop closed-form solutions for the SOP and propose an optimal virtual RIS segmentation strategy, which is subsequently employed in a 3D A-RIS deployment approach to minimize the overall SOP. The numerical findings corroborate the analytical derivations and solutions, revealing that the proposed A-RIS partitioning and 3D A-RIS deployment approach yield superior security compared to conventional PLS benchmarks.