{
  "abstract": "The evolution towards 6G networks demands unprecedented levels of automation, security, and quantum resilience to address the complex challenges of autonomous zero-touch networking. Current orchestration frameworks lack comprehensive quantum-resistant security mechanisms and fail to provide adaptive trust management suitable for dynamic 6G environments. This paper presents QShield-ZTN, a novel quantum-resilient, standards-compliant secure orchestration model designed specifically for autonomous 6G zero-touch networks. The proposed framework integrates hybrid post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, dynamic zero-trust policy enforcement, and an AI-driven multi-agent orchestration engine to ensure robust security in quantum-threat environments. Extensive experimental evaluations conducted using four heterogeneous datasets (NSL-KDD + , CICIDS2017 + , QShield-Synthetic, and Quantum-Dataset) demonstrate significant performance gains over ten state-of-the-art frameworks. QShield-ZTN achieves a 47.3% improvement in quantum resistance, 52.1% enhancement in autonomous decision-making accuracy, and 34.8% latency reduction, while maintaining high detection accuracy (97.3%) and energy efficiency (3.2 × 10^(−9) J/bit). These improvements are statistically validated using one-way ANOVA and paired t-tests (p < 0.01), ensuring the reliability and reproducibility of results. The proposed framework successfully mitigates diverse classical and quantum-enhanced attacks, maintains seamless interoperability with emerging 6G architectures, and provides standards-compliant guidelines for practical deployment.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Computer Science College of Computer, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 1,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Sulaiman Alamro"
    }
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  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8hhtxw7tp9jk3.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357590",
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  "id": "8hhtxw7tp9jk3",
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    "1932-6203"
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  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
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  "native_subjects": [
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0357590&type=printable",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-15",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8hhtxw7tp9jk3.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
      "native_id": "10.1371/journal.pone.0357590",
      "source": "plos",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0357590"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "plos:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
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    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "plos:quantum mechanics",
      "subfield": "quantum"
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  "title": "QShield-ZTN: A quantum-resilient, standards-compliant secure orchestration model for autonomous 6G zero-touch networks",
  "title_text": "QShield-ZTN: A quantum-resilient, standards-compliant secure orchestration model for autonomous 6G zero-touch networks",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/8hhtxw7tp9jk3",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
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}