T12 – Security and Privacy in Integrated Sensing and Communication: From Physical-Layer Threats to Experimental Validation

Co-presenter: Marco Cominelli, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Co-presenter: Stefania Bartoletti, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
Co-presenter: Francesco Gringoli, University of Brescia, Italy

Abstract: As 6G networks move toward standardization, Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC), i.e., the joint use of radio signals for data transmission and environmental sensing, becomes a central functionality. Yet, this integration introduces new attack surfaces and raises significant privacy concerns, as wireless systems can directly sense and infer information about their surroundings. This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of security and privacy in ISAC systems, integrating theoretical, technical, and experimental perspectives.

Drawing directly from the presenters’ own work, the tutorial covers (i) threat modeling for ISAC systems, (ii) formal models with theoretical performance limits, as well as (iii) experimental results from practical testbeds, presenting a range of attacks and countermeasures in real-world scenarios. Particular emphasis is placed on physical-layer threats that can manipulate sensing outcomes, including jamming, spoofing, and ghost-target injection, as well as on cooperative mitigation strategies. The tutorial further examines privacy leakage vectors in current wireless systems, including identity disclosure attacks and sensing-enabled inference from channel state information, supported by experimental results. It also discusses device-free sensing and its implications for human activity recognition, together with privacy-preserving techniques such as signal obfuscation and beamforming-based defenses.

By covering the full research pipeline, from theoretical analysis to implementation and experimental validation, this tutorial provides attendees with a structured and practical understanding of ISAC security and privacy aspects. It aims to equip researchers and practitioners with the tools to identify vulnerabilities, evaluate risks, and design more secure and trustworthy ISAC systems.

Co-presenter’s Bios:

Marco Cominelli:

Marco Cominelli (Member, IEEE) received the M.Sc. degree in telecommunications engineering and the Ph.D. degree in information engineering from the University of Brescia, Italy, in 2019 and 2023, respectively. He has been a visiting student at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA. He is currently a Research Assistant Professor with the Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria (DEIB) at Politecnico di Milano, Italy. His research interests include next-generation wireless networking systems, software-defined radio platforms, device free sensing techniques, and communication protocols for the Internet of Things. In 2023, he was invited to participate in the Windows-on-Science program organized by the Air Force Research Laboratory. His research has been recognized with five Best Paper Awards at international conferences.

Stefania Bartoletti:

Stefania Bartoletti (Member, IEEE) received the Laurea degree (summa cum laude) in electronics and telecommunications engineering and the Ph.D. degree in information engineering from the University of Ferrara, Italy, in 2011 and 2015, respectively.,Dr. Bartoletti is an Associate Professor at University of Rome “Tor Vergata,” Italy. From 2019 to 2022, she was a Researcher at the Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering, National Research Council of Italy (IEIIT-CNR). From 2016 to 2019, she was a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow within the Horizon 2020 European Framework at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA, and the University of Ferrara. Her research interests include theory and experimentation of wireless networks for sensing and localization. She was awarded a Starting Grant in 2023 from European Research Council. She served as the Chair of the Technical Program Committee (TPC) for several IEEE ICC and Globecom Workshops. She is an Editor of IEEE Communications Letters.

Francesco Gringoli:

Francesco Gringoli (Senior Member, IEEE) received the master’s degree in telecommunications engineering from the University of Padova, Italy, in 1998, and the Ph.D. degree in information engineering from the University of Brescia, Italy, in 2002. He is currently a Full Professor with the University of Brescia. His research interests include security assessment, performance evaluation, and medium access control in Wireless LANs. He is a regular member of the Technical Program Committee in major IEEE conferences and a reviewer for major IEEE and ACM technical journals.