Personal data transmission based on trust

Abstract

An NMS (130; 750; 800), a first communication device (110; 710; 900) and a second communication device (120; 720; 900), a method (200; 300; 400) performed by the NMS, the first communication device and the second communication device, a corresponding computer program and computer program product each for the NMS, the first communication device and the second communication device are disclosed. The first communication device receives an indication of a level of trust, obtains a second message, an indication of personal data in the second message and a cryptographic key, encrypts a part of the second message comprising personal data and transmits, to the second communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust either a payload comprising the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message or a payload comprising the second message.

Description

[0001] PERSONAL DATA TRANSMISSION BASED ON TRUST

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The disclosure herein relates to a network management system, a first communication device and a second communication device, a method performed by the network management system, the first communication device and the second communication device, a corresponding computer program and computer program product each for the network management system, the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Log files and data files containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) are very relevant from a security aspect, especially with regards to European Union (EU) 2016 / 679, commonly referred to as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). PII must be protected and PII should not be exposed to a malicious node or a user with malicious intent.

[0006] Blacklisting or forbidden listing is the process of listing entities who are being denied a particular privilege or service. In information technology, a forbidden listing is used to control access to a certain resource such as a network or a printer, usable by everyone except entities such as users or programs present in the forbidden list. In a monitored computer system, for example, the forbidden list may contain IP addresses, ports, and programs to which the firewall should deny connection. Another use of forbidden listing is found in management of e-mail, where the forbidden list may include those e-mail addresses considered as spam generators, to which e-mail delivery receipt can be denied, which is usually possible for other e-mail addresses.

[0007] Dave Levin et al. Alibi Routing, SIGCOMM October 2015, pages 611-624 discloses a peer-to-peer overlay routing system for finding alibis securely and efficiently. The drawback of the Alibi Routing system is that it is not possible to avoid passing through a forbidden area in all cases. The drawback is confirmed by a study conducted by researchers simulating a network of 20,000 participants with Alibi routing and concluding that in nearly 15% of cases it was not possible to avoid passing through the forbidden area. SUMMARY

[0008] An object of the invention is to improve security in a communication network.

[0009] This and other objects are met by means of different aspects of the invention, as defined by the independent claims.

[0010] According to a first aspect, a method performed by a first communication device is provided. A communication network comprises the first communication device, a second communication device and a network management system (NMS). The method comprises receiving, from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device and ii) the second communication device. The method comprises obtaining i) a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device, ii) an indication of personal data in a header field of the second message and iii) a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device. The method comprises encrypting a part of the second message comprising personal data, using the obtained cryptographic key, based on the obtained indication of personal data. The method comprises transmitting, to the second communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device a payload. The payload comprises the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message or the payload comprises the second message. Hereby is achieved that the security, in particular, the privacy in the communication network is improved. The disclosure herein advantageously provides an improved mechanism to exchange messages comprising personal data in the communication network. The disclosure herein advantageously provides a mechanism for distributing a cryptographic key to a communication device based on a level of trust of the communication device. The disclosure herein advantageously provides an improved mechanism for securing personal data against untrusted nodes in a communication network.

[0011] According to a second aspect, a method performed by a second communication device is provided. A communication network comprises the second communication device, a first communication device and an NMS. The method comprises receiving, from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device and the first communication device. The method comprises receiving, from the NMS, a cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device. The method comprises receiving, from the first communication device, a payload based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device. The payload comprises an encrypted part of a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device and a remaining part of the second message, wherein the encrypted part of the second message comprises personal data, or the payload comprises a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device.

[0012] According to a third aspect, a method performed by an NMS is provided. A communication network comprises a first communication device, a second communication device and the NMS. The method comprises obtaining an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device. The method comprises transmitting, to the first communication device, a first message comprising the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device. The method comprises generating a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device. The method comprises distributing, to the first communication device, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect, a first communication device is provided. A communication network comprises the first communication device, a second communication device and an NMS. The first communication device is adapted to receive, from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device and ii) the second communication device. The first communication device is adapted to obtain i) a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device, ii) an indication of personal data in a header field of the second message and iii) a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device. The first communication device is adapted to encrypt a part of the second message comprising personal data, using the obtained cryptographic key, based on the obtained indication of personal data. The first communication device is adapted to transmit, to the second communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device a payload. The payload comprises the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message or the payload comprises the second message.

[0014] According to a fifth aspect, a second communication device is provided. A communication network comprises the second communication device, a first communication device and an NMS. The second communication device is adapted to receiving, from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device and the first communication device. The second communication device is adapted to receive, from the NMS, a cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device. The second communication device is adapted to receive, from the first communication device, a payload based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device. The payload comprises an encrypted part of a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device and a remaining part of the second message, wherein the encrypted part of the second message comprises personal data, or the payload comprises a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device.

[0015] According to a sixth aspect, an NMS is provided. A communication network comprises a first communication device, a second communication device and the NMS. The NMS is adapted to obtain an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device. The NMS is adapted to transmit, to the first communication device, a first message comprising the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device. The NMS is adapted to generate a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device. The NMS is adapted to distribute, to the first communication device, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

[0016] According to a seventh aspect, a first communication device is provided. The first communication device comprises at least one processing circuitry. The first communication device comprises at least one memory. The at least one memory is connected to the at least one processing circuitry. The at least one memory storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to the first aspect.

[0017] According to an eighth aspect, a second communication device is provided. The second communication device comprises at least one processing circuitry. The second communication device comprises at least one memory. The at least one memory is connected to the at least one processing circuitry. The at least one memory storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0018] According to a ninth aspect, an NMS is provided. The NMS comprises at least one processing circuitry. The NMS comprises at least one memory. The at least one memory is connected to the at least one processing circuitry. The at least one memory storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to the third aspect.

[0019] According to a tenth aspect, a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processing circuitry of a first communication device, a second communication device and / or an NMS is provided. The computer program causes the first communication device to carry out the method according to the first aspect. The computer program causes the second communication device to carry out the method according to the second aspect. The computer program causes the NMS to carry out the method according to the third aspect.

[0020] According to an eleventh aspect, a computer program product stored on a non- transitory computer readable medium is provided. The computer program product comprises instructions that, when executed by at least one processing circuitry of a first communication device, a second communication device and / or an NMS, causes the first communication device, the second communication device and / or the NMS to perform the method according to the first aspect, the second aspect and / or the third aspect.

[0021] Another advantage of the disclosure herein is that support for compliance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is provided. The disclosure herein further enables restricting exposure of personal data in a communication network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0023] Fig. 1 illustrates a communication network according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0024] Figs. 2-4 illustrate methods according to embodiments of the invention.

[0025] Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate signaling diagrams according to embodiments of the invention.

[0026] Fig. 7 illustrates a communication network according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0027] Fig. 8 shows a network node in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0028] Fig. 9 shows a UE in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0029] Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a computer program product according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0030] Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a virtualization environment according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0031] All the figures are schematic, not necessarily to scale, and generally only show parts which are necessary in order to elucidate the invention, wherein other parts may be omitted or merely suggested.

[0032] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

[0034] The prior art does not provide for protection of personally identifiable information (PII) while an exchange of a message is taking place between two communication devices, especially when the exchange of the message is taking place between an untrusted or a forbidden listed communication device and another communication device. In an example, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messages exchanged amongst services are required to be encrypted in transit between two communication devices, by using, for example, HTTP Secure (HTTPS). In an example, when an application comprising a message is executed in a cloud native environment, the processing of the application may involve invoking of several intermediate microservices between an initial service, for example, a user interface, and a final service, for example, a database. When reaching each of the intermediate services, HTTPS packets are terminated and content of the application including PII is often available in clear text for processing. When processing is completed at an intermediate service, packets destined for the next service in the application operation flow are encrypted and sent via HTTPS. As can be understood from the situation described herein, PII is exposed to each of the intermediate services in clear text. In the case of any of the intermediate services being subject to forbidden list restrictions, PII exposure must be avoided. One possible solution might be to encrypt the whole message, in addition to the encryption performed by HTTPS protocol, when the HTTP message is forwarded to a destination in a forbidden list. The HTTPS encryption is decrypted at the destination, but the additional encryption is not. Encrypting the whole message has several drawbacks such as an increased computational complexity for encrypting the whole message, which may not be beneficial when there is no PII in the message. Another disadvantage of encrypting the entire message is that it would cause a delay in transmission, which is not appropriate when there is no PII in the message. Yet another disadvantage of encrypting the whole message is that the encrypted message is rendered useless for an application or a service hosted by a node or a communication device in the forbidden list nodes, preventing any provided functionality of the application or the service even in case there are no security reasons to obfuscate the contents of the message.

[0035] The disclosure herein provides for encryption of a part of a message comprising personal data or PII when the message is being sent from a communication device to another communication device, wherein that other communication device is present in a forbidden list. The disclosure herein further provides a mechanism for providing a secure and / or efficient means for transferring a message comprising PII from a first communication device to a second communication device. In other words, the disclosure herein provides a mechanism for supporting a secure and / or efficient transfer of data comprising PII between a first communication device and a second communication device. The disclosure herein enables improved security in a communication network wherein a message comprising personal data is being exchanged or is to be exchanged.

[0036] Fig. 1 illustrates a communication network 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The communication network 100 comprises a first communication device 110, a second communication device 120 and a network management system (NMS) 130. The communication network 100 may optionally comprise a communication network node 140. One or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and the NMS 130 may comprise a microservice architecture. The microservice architecture may include providing a functionality / an operation using one or more autonomous services and / or applications. Each of the services and / or applications is typically self-contained and may implement a small operation within a bounded context. The bounded context may be a natural division within a complex functionality / operation which provides an explicit boundary within which the service and / or application exists. The NMS 130 may comprise one or more of an Operational Support System (OSS), a network management node, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network node and a non-3GPP network node. Examples of the NMS 130 and / or the communication network node 140 have been provided in relation to the description corresponding to Fig. 8. Examples of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the communication network node 140 have been provided in relation to the description corresponding to Fig. 9.

[0037] Fig. 2 illustrates a method 200 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 200 is performed by the first communication device 110 as described in relation to the description corresponding to Fig. 1.

[0038] The method 200 comprises receiving 210, from the NMS, a first message. The first message comprises an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The indication of level of trust may indicate that a communication device of the first communication device 110 and / or the second communication device 120 is trusted or not. In an example, the indication of a level of trust may be indicated by a flag with a first value (e.g., 0) for untrusted and a flag with a second value (e.g., 1) for trusted. In an example, the indication of a level of trust may be indicated by additional values and / or parameters. The indication of a level of trust may further provide information of whether a communication device is part of a forbidden list. The forbidden list may contain a list of communication devices, services and / or applications which are not trusted. In an example, the communication devices, the services and / or the applications present in the forbidden list may be untrusted by an operator controlling the communication network 100 and / or may be untrusted by a communication network node 140 which provides information about the forbidden list to the communication network 100. The communication devices, the services and / or the applications present may be included in the forbidden list due to a variety of reasons such as inadequate security measures, risk of data theft and data privacy concerns. The method 200 comprises obtaining 220 a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device. The method 200 comprises obtaining 200 an indication of personal data in a header field of the second message. The method 200 further comprises obtain 200 a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the level of trust for the first communication device. The second message may be any message such as a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message, HTTP Secure (HTTPS) message, a Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) message and a Representational state transfer (REST) protocol message. In an example, the second message is an HTTP message. The HTTP message comprises one or more header fields. One of the header fields in the second message provides an indication of personal data in a payload of the second message. The header field may be appended to the second message, by the first communication device 110, to provide an indication of personal data in the second message. The indication of personal data may indicate either a presence or an absence of personal data in the payload of the HTTP message. The indication of personal data may further indicate where personal data is located the message, by indicating, for example, a location of a key-value pair for a JSON message. The indication of the location of personal data in the message may enable identifying the part of the message to be encrypted and / or secured from exposure to a communication device in a forbidden list. The payload may also be referred to as the body of the second message. In an example, the header field of the second message may indicate a presence of personal data with a first value (e.g., 0) and an absence of personal data with a second value (e.g., 1). In an example, the header field may indicate a presence or an absence of personal data by using additional values and / or parameters, for example, indicating a location, a fields and / or a key-value pair of personal data in the second message. The indication may enable locating placement of personal data in the second message. In an embodiment, personal data comprises PII. In an embodiment, the cryptographic key is obtained, from the NMS, based on the level of trust for the first communication device 110. In an example, if the first communication device 110 is trusted or not part of a forbidden list, the first communication device receives the cryptographic key from the NMS. In another embodiment, the cryptographic key may be obtained from another communication network node in the communication network 100 or another communication network based on the level of trust of the first communication device 110. Examples of the cryptographic key may be, but not limited to, a symmetric cryptographic key, an asymmetric cryptographic key, a public cryptographic key and a private cryptographic key. Examples of encryption algorithms for performing the encryption of the second message may be Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES) algorithm. Triple DES algorithm. Blowfish, Twofish and Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA).

[0039] The method 200 comprises encrypting 230 a part of the second message comprising personal data based on the obtained indication of personal data. The encrypted part of the second message is encrypted using the obtained cryptographic key. The part of the second message may be a part of the second message comprising personal data. The encryption of the part of the second message comprising personal data enables improved security in the communication network since an untrusted communication device or a communication device which is part of a forbidden list will not receive the cryptographic key and thus, may not be capable of decrypting the encrypted part. In an example, if the second message comprises only personal data, the part of the second message comprising personal data corresponds to all contents of the second message. In an example, if the second message comprises no personal data or has no indication of personal data, the part of the second message comprising personal data may be an empty part. In the disclosure herein, we assume that the second message comprises personal data.

[0040] The method 200 comprises transmitting / sending / providing 240, to the second communication device 120, a payload based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device.

[0041] If the second communication device 120 is indicated as untrusted and / or if the communication device is part of a forbidden list, the payload may comprise the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message. The remaining part may be the part of the second message which comprises no personal data. In other words, the remaining part of the second message may be the part for which there is no indication of personal data in the header field of the second message.

[0042] If the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted and / or if the communication device is not part of a forbidden list, the payload may comprise the second message. In this case, the second message may be unmodified since the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted and thus, does not pose a threat to the privacy of contents of the second message.

[0043] The method 200 thus discloses a method to encrypt personal data in a message when the message is forwarded and / or sent from a first communication device 110 to a second communication device 120 in a forbidden list and / or an untrusted list. Only personal data in the message is encrypted and transmitted to the second communication device 120 while the rest of the message is sent in clear text. If the first communication device 110 is not in the forbidden list and / or the untrusted list, a cryptographic key is distributed to the first communication device to encrypt and decrypt personal data in the message.

[0044] The method 200 may optionally comprise transmitting 250, to the NMS, a third message. The third message comprises information related to a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device 110. The list comprises the second communication device 120. The information comprises details regarding an identity of at least one communication device which is directly reachable by the first communication device 110, by either Internet Protocol (IP) addressing or non-IP addressing. In an example, the list may include a communication device which is a next hop (e.g., a physical next hop and / or a logical next hop) for the first communication device 110.

[0045] The method 200 may optionally comprise receiving 260, from the NMS, a fourth message. The fourth message comprises an updated indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, and / or the at least one communication device from the list. The updated indication of a level of trust may indicate an update in value of a flag (e.g., 0, 1, trusted, untrusted, forbidden, not- forbidden) or any other indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, and / or the at least one communication device from the list. In an example, if the first communication device 110 is indicated as trusted, an updated indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 may indicate that it is untrusted. In an example, if the first communication device 110 is indicated as trusted, an updated indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 may indicate that it is trusted. In an example, if the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted, an updated indication of a level of trust for the second communication device 120 may indicate that it is untrusted. In an example, if the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted, an updated indication of a level of trust for the second communication device 120 may indicate that it is trusted. Similarly, in an example, the indication of level of trust of the first communication device 110 may indicate that the first communication device 110 is untrusted and an updated indication of a level of trust of the first communication device 110 may indicate that the first communication device 110 is trusted and so on. The updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device may be received after a preconfigured time has elapsed. The preconfigured time being elapsed since the last receipt of the indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device. In an example, the preconfigured time may be a fixed time period for each of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device. In an example, the preconfigured time may be a different time period for each of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device. In an embodiment, the preconfigured time period of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device may be in the order of a few microseconds to a few minutes. The updated indication of the level of trust may be referred to as a refreshed indication of a level of trust.

[0046] In an example embodiment, the second message is an HTTP message (e.g. an HTTP 1.1 message, HTTP / 2 message, HTTP / 3 message). In the example embodiment, the second message comprises a header and a body. A header field of the header may comprise an indication of personal data or PII in the second message by indicating one or more key-value pairs which contain personal data if JSON data format is used in the communication network 100. In some embodiments, the header field may be a nonstandard HTTP header field. An example of a second message is: {"id":"d7ce343d-bb7a-4908-9fl9-cb69545cl00b", "createdTimestamp": 1622541727812, "username":"my-user","enabled":true,"totp":false,"emailVerified":false, "email":"my-user@myO rg.org"}.

[0047] In this case, the header field may indicate that the key-value pairs corresponding to 'username' and 'email' contain personal data or PIL Thus, the example header of the second message is: Privacy: {"username": "privll", "email": "privl2"}.

[0048] The first communication device 110 is adapted / configured / operable to perform the method 200. In an embodiment, the first communication device 110 obtains the second message from a client device in the communication network 100 or any other communication device capable of transmitting the second message. Additionally, the first communication device 110 obtains an indication of personal data in the header field of the second message from either the client device or any other communication device in the communication network 100 any other communication device capable of transmitting the second message without the need to parse all contents of the second message's body. The first communication device 110 obtains a cryptographic key if the first communication device 110 is indicated as trusted or is not part of a forbidden list. In the example where the first communication device is trusted and the second communication device 120 is untrusted, the first communication device 110 receives the cryptographic key from the NMS 130 and then encrypts the part of the second message comprising personal data. The first communication device 110 transmits a payload comprising the encrypted part of the second message which comprises personal data and a remaining part of the second message. An example of the payload is: {"id":"d7ce343d-bb7a-4908-9fl9-cb69545cl00b", "createdTimestamp": 1622541727812, "username":"lfH@Jkio","enabled":true,"totp":false,"emailVerified":false, "email":"ffK@*j78956Gghr"}.

[0049] The payload demonstrates the advantage provided by the disclosure herein. The key-value pair of 'username' and 'email', which were indicated as key-value pairs containing personal data, are sent in an encrypted format to the second communication device 120 in case the second communication device is untrusted or is a part of a forbidden list.

[0050] Fig. 3 illustrates a method 300 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 300 is performed by the second communication device 120 as described in relation to the description corresponding to Figs. 1 and 2. The method 300 comprises receiving 310, from the NMS, a first message. The first message comprises an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device 120 and the first communication device 110. The method 300 comprises receiving 310 a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device 120. The first message may comprise the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device 120. If the second communication device 120 is indicated as untrusted and / or if the communication device is part of a forbidden list, the second communication device 120 does not receive the cryptographic key. Examples of the indication of the level of trust may be similar to the ones as described in relation to method 200's obtaining 220 operation.

[0051] The method 300 comprises receiving 320, from the first communication device 110, a payload based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device 120.

[0052] If the second communication device 120 is indicated as untrusted and / or if the communication device is part of a forbidden list, the payload may comprise an encrypted part of a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device 120 and a remaining part of the second message, wherein the encrypted part of the second message comprises personal data. In an example, the second communication device 120 may be able to decrypt the encrypted part of the second message since the cryptographic key has not been received by the second communication device 120. In an example, if the second message is an HTTPS message, the second message may be encrypted during transit between the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120 but when the second message reaches the second communication device 120, the second message is decrypted and the part of the second message comprising personal data is still encrypted with the cryptographic key obtained from the NMS. Thus, when the second message reaches the second communication device 120, the part comprising personal data is encrypted and the remaining part of the second message is available to the second communication device 120 in cleartext / plaintext which ensures data privacy from an untrusted node / device. If the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted and / or if the second communication device 120 is not a part of a forbidden list, the payload comprises a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device 120. In this case, the second message may be received by the second communication device 120 without any encrypted part of the second message since the second communication device 120 is indicated as trusted and / or not a part of the forbidden list. In an example, if the second message is an HTTPS message, the second message may be encrypted during transit between the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120 but when the second message reaches the second communication device 120, the second message is decrypted and all contents of the second message are available to the second communication device 120 in cleartext / plaintext which allows for a trusted node / device to view data relating to PII.

[0053] The second message may be any message such as a HTTP message, HTTPS message, a CoAP message and a REST protocol message. Examples of the indication of personal data in the second message may be similar to the ones specified in relation to method 200's obtaining 220 operation.

[0054] The method 300 comprises transmitting 330, to the NMS, a third message. The third message comprises information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the second communication device 120. The list comprises the first communication device 110. The information comprises details regarding an identity of at least one communication device which is directly reachable by the second communication device 120, by either IP addressing or non-IP addressing. In an example, the list may include a communication device which is a next hop (e.g., a physical next hop and / or a logical next hop) for the second communication device 120.

[0055] The method 300 comprises receiving 340, from the NMS, a fourth message. The fourth message comprises an updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and the at least one communication device. The updated indication of a level of trust may indicate an update in value of a flag or any other indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, and / or the at least one communication device from the list. The updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device may be received after a preconfigured time has elapsed. Examples of the updated indication of a level of trust and the preconfigured time may be similar to the ones as specified in relation to method 200's receiving 260 operation.

[0056] If the second communication device 120 is in a forbidden list or is not trusted, no cryptographic key is provided to the second communication device 120. Thus, if the second communication device 120 is in a forbidden list or is not trusted, the second communication device 120 is not configured to process any encryption or decryption of a part or the whole contents of the second message.

[0057] Fig. 4 illustrates a method 400 according to an embodiment of the invention. The method 400 is performed by the NMS 130. The communication network 100 comprises the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and the NMS 130.

[0058] The method 400 comprises obtaining 410 an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. In an example, the NMS a memory / database comprising a record or a table. The record or the table comprise a list of at least one communication device in the communication network 100 with a corresponding indication of a level of trust for the at least one communication device. The at least one communication device in the communication network 100 comprise the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. Examples of the indication of the level of trust may be similar to the ones as described in relation to method 200's receiving 210 operation. The operation of obtaining 410 may involve retrieving, from the memory / database of the NMS, information regarding an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. In an embodiment, obtaining an indication of the level of trust comprises receiving, from a communication network node 140, one or more of the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The communication network node 140 may comprise a record / a list of an indication of a level of trust for many communication devices including the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The communication network node 140 may be a node which is part of an entity that maintains a list of untrusted or forbidden listed communication devices, services and / or applications. In an embodiment, obtaining the indication of a level of trust comprises retrieving 440 the indication of the level of trust for one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0059] The method 400 comprises transmitting 415, to the first communication device 110, a first message. The first message comprises an indication of the level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. Examples of the indication of the level of trust may be similar to the ones as described in relation to method 200's obtaining 220 operation.

[0060] The method 400 comprises generating 420 a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device. Examples of the cryptographic key may be similar to the ones as described in relation to method 200's obtaining 220 operation.

[0061] The method 400 comprises distributing 425, to the first communication device 110, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device 110. If the first communication device 110 is indicated as untrusted and / or if the first communication device 110 is part of a forbidden list, the NMS 130 does not distribute the cryptographic key to the first communication device 110. If the first communication device 110 is indicated as trusted and / or if the first communication device 110 is not part of a forbidden list, the NMS 130 distributes the cryptographic key to the first communication device 110. The operation of distributing 425 may alternatively be referred to as allocating, providing and / or transmitting, to the first communication device 110, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device 110.

[0062] The method 400 comprises obtaining 430 information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device 110. The list comprises the second communication device. Examples of the list and the at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device may be similar to the ones are described in relation to method 200's transmitting 250 operation.

[0063] The method 400 comprises receiving 435, from the first communication device 110, a third message comprising information about an updated list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device 110. The updated list may comprise one or more communication devices which were previously not directly reachable by the first communication device 110. In an example, if the first communication device 110 moves from one location to another location, the first communication device 110 may be assigned a new IP address and in some cases, may now be directly reachable by one or more communication devices which were previously not directly reachable by the first communication device 110. The updated list may comprise more records of communication devices than the list or the updated list may comprise less records of communication devices than the list obtained in relation to the obtaining 430 operation of method 400.

[0064] The method 400 comprises transmitting 440 a fourth message to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device. The fourth message comprises an updated indication of a level of trust for each of the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the at least one communication device may be sent after a preconfigured time has elapsed. Examples of the updated indication of a level of trust and the preconfigured time may be similar to the ones as specified in relation to method 200's receiving 260 operation.

[0065] The method 400 comprises generating 445 an updated cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in the second message. The updated cryptographic key may be a new key as compared to the cryptographic key as described in relation to operation 420 of method 400. Examples of the updated cryptographic key may be similar to the ones as described in relation to the obtaining 220 operation of method 200.

[0066] The method 400 comprises distributing 450, to the first communication device 110, the updated cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device 110.

[0067] Fig. 5 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an embodiment of the invention. The signaling diagram represents an example interaction between the NMS 130, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and the communication network node 140.

[0068] The NMS 130 is configured to obtain 410 an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The indication may be retrieved from the NMS 130 or the indication may be received from the communication network node 140 after transmitting a request asking for the indication of level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The NMS 130 is configured to provide 415 an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device 120 to the first communication device 110. The NMS 130 is further configured to generate 420 a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a message to be sent from the first communication device 110 to the second communication device 120. The NMS 130 is configured to distribute 425 the cryptographic key to the first communication device 110 in a case wherein the first communication device 110 is trusted or not a part of a forbidden list. The NMS 130 is further configured to obtain 430 a list of communication devices which are directly reachable by the first communication device. The list may be obtained by retrieving the list from a storage in the NMS 130, receiving the list from the first communication device 110 and / or receiving the list from the communication network node 140. The first communication device 110 is configured to transmit a payload to the second communication device 120, wherein the payload comprises an encrypted part of the message and an unencrypted part of the message. The encrypted part of the message corresponds to the part of the message comprising personal data or PIT

[0069] Fig. 6 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an embodiment of the invention. The signaling diagram represents an example interaction between the NMS 130, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and the communication network node 140. In the example interaction, after a certain time has elapsed, after a change in topology in the communication network 100 and / or upon completion of the first instance of transmitting of the payload from the first communication device 110 to the second communication device 120 as described in relation to 240, an updated indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120 is requested by the NMS 130 or retrieved by the NMS 130. The elapsed time may be a time-to-live (TTL) for a message to be transmitted to the second communication device 120 or another time period which indicates expiry of a previously obtained indication of level of trust. The signaling diagram in relation to Fig. 6 may be a method that occurs after completion of the operations as described in relation to Fig. 5. In the example embodiment, the NMS 130 is configured to obtain 410 the updated indication of a level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The updated indication may be retrieved from the NMS 130 or the updated indication may be received from the communication network node 140 after transmitting a request asking for the updated indication of level of trust for the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120. The NMS 130 is configured to provide 440 the updated indication of the level of trust for the second communication device 120 to the first communication device 110. The NMS 130 is further configured to generate 445 an updated cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a message to be sent from the first communication device 110 to the second communication device 120. The updated cryptographic key may be different as compared to the cryptographic key as described in relation to the operation of generation 420 for method 400. The NMS 130 is configured to distribute 450 the updated cryptographic key to the first communication device 110 in a case wherein the first communication device 110 is trusted or not a part of a forbidden list. The NMS 130 is further configured to obtain 435 an updated list of communication devices which are directly reachable by the first communication device. The updated list may be obtained by retrieving the list from a storage in the NMS 130, receiving the updated list from the first communication device 110 and / or receiving the updated list from the communication network node 140. The first communication device 110 is configured to transmit a payload to the second communication device 120, wherein the payload comprises an encrypted part of the message and an unencrypted part of the message. The encrypted part of the message corresponds to the part of the message comprising personal data or PIT

[0070] Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram according to an embodiment of the invention. The block diagram represents an example interaction in a communication network 700 between a first communication device 710, a second communication device 720, a third communication device 730, a client device 740, a NMS 750 and a communication network node 760. The communication network 700 comprises the communication network 100. The first communication device 710, the second communication device 720, the NMS 750 and the communication network node 760 comprise the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, the NMS 130 and the communication network node 140, respectively. The third communication device 730 and the client device 740 comprise functionality similar to the first communication device 110 and / or the second communication device 120. In an example embodiment, the second communication device 720 is part of a forbidden list or the second communication device 720 is untrusted. In the example embodiment, the first communication device 710 and the third communication device 730 are both trusted. The indication of trusted or untrusted communication device is received from the communication network node 760 or retrieved from the NMS 750. Each of the first communication device 710, the second communication device 720 and the third communication device 730 comprise one or more services / applications or containers. In other words, each of the first communication device 710, the second communication device 720 and the third communication device 730 host one or more services / applications or containers. The NMS 750 comprises one or more services / applications or containers.

[0071] In an example, the NMS may comprise one or more of a 'KeyDist' service, a 'PC- IM' service and an 'NIST-IM' service. The KeyDist service provides the functionality of generation and distribution of cryptographic keys at the NMS 750 as described in relation to method 400. The Path Computation interface manager (PC-IM) service provides functionality of providing a topology of the communication network 700. The PC-IM in configured to communicate with one or more services which is aware of the communication devices where services / applications have been designated to run. Using this information, the PC-IM is configured to distribute, to the services / applications, the list of services / applications or containers hosted by forbidden listed communication devices / untrusted communication devices. The PC-IM may be configured to communicate with a container orchestrator in a cloud native environment such Kubernetes, wherein the container orchestrator possesses information about services / applications running in each communication device in the communication network 700. In an example, the PC-IM may comprise functionality of downward application program interface as defined by Kubernetes. The National Institute of Standards and Technology interface manager (NIST-IM) is configured to obtain information about services / applications and / or containers and / or communication devices in a forbidden list as defined by NIST or any other data privacy institute. The NIST-IM is configured to subscribe for notifications from the NIST or any other data privacy institute when services / applications and / or containers and / or communication devices are included in or are removed from the forbidden list.

[0072] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication network 100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The network 100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0073] The first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with other network nodes and other communication devices.

[0074] As a whole, the communication network 100 of Fig. 1 and / or of Fig. 7 enables connectivity between the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, the NMS 130, the communication network node 140, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the network may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0075] In some examples, the communication network 100 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the network 200 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the communication network 100. For example, the communication network 100 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other communication devices, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further communication devices.

[0076] In some examples, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the NMS 130 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the NMS 130 may be designed to transmit information to the communication network 100 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the communication network 100. Additionally, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the NMS 130 may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the NMS 130 may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN- DC).

[0077] Fig. 8 shows a network node 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations. Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0078] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0079] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi- cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes. Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g.. Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0080] The network node 800 includes a processing circuitry 802, a memory 804, a communication interface 806, and a power source 808. The network node 800 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 800 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 800 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 804 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 810 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 800 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 800, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 800. The processing circuitry 802 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 800 components, such as the memory 804, to provide network node 800 functionality.

[0081] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0082] The memory 804 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device- readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 802. The memory 804 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 802 and utilized by the network node 800. The memory 804 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 802 and / or any data received via the communication interface 806. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 and memory 804 is integrated.

[0083] The communication interface 806 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 806 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 816 to transmit and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 806 also includes radio front-end circuitry 818 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 810. Radio front-end circuitry 818 comprises filters 820 and amplifiers 822. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be connected to an antenna 810 and processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 810 and processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 820 and / or amplifiers 822. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 810. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 810 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 818. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 802. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0084] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 800 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 818, instead, the processing circuitry 802 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 810. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 is part of the communication interface 806. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 806 includes one or more ports or terminals 816, the radio front-end circuitry 818, and the RF transceiver circuitry 812, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 806 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 814, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0085] The antenna 810 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 810 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 818 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 810 is separate from the network node 800 and connectable to the network node 800 through an interface or port.

[0086] The antenna 810, communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information. data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0087] The power source 808 provides power to the various components of network node 800 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 808 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 800 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 800 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 808. As a further example, the power source 808 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0088] Embodiments of the network node 800 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 800 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 800 and to allow output of information from the network node 800. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 800. In an example, the network node 800 comprises the NMS 130, the NMS 750, the communication network node 140 and / or the communication network node 760. The network node 800 is configured to perform the operations according to any of the methods disclosed herein, including any of the methods shown in Fig. 4, and / or the signaling of any of the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and / or the NMS 130 shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

[0089] Fig. 9 shows a UE 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customerpremise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. In an example, the UE 1000 comprises the first communication device 110, the first communication device 710, the second communication device 120, the second communication device 720, the third communication node 730, the communication network node 140 and / or the communication network node 760. The UE 900 is configured to perform the operations according to any of the methods disclosed herein, including any of the methods shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and / or the signaling of any of the first communication device 110 and / or the second communication device 120 shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

[0090] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication. Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0091] The UE 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0092] The processing circuitry 902 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 910. The processing circuitry 902 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0093] In the example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 900. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0094] In some embodiments, the power source 908 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself. and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1008. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 908 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

[0095] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more application programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by the UE 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0096] The memory 910 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as 'SIM card.' The memory 910 may allow the UE 900 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 910, which may be or comprise a device- readable storage medium.

[0097] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0098] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0099] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 912, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0100] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0101] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 900 shown in Fig. 9.

[0102] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation. In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0103] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0104] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0105] Fig. 10 illustrates an example of a computer program product in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Computer program product 1010 of a UE 900 and / or a network node 800 includes a computer readable storage medium 1030 (storage or recording medium) storing a computer program 1020 comprising computer readable instructions. Computer readable medium 1030 of the UE 900 and / or the network node 800, may be a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as, magnetic media (e.g., a hard disk), optical media, memory devices (e.g., random access memory, flash memory), and the like. In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions of computer program 1020 are configured such that when executed by processing circuitry 802 and / or the processing circuitry 902, the computer readable instructions cause the UE 900 and / or the network node 800 to perform steps described herein (e.g., method 200, method 300, method 400). In other embodiments, the UE 900 and / or the network node 800 may be configured / operable to perform steps described herein without the need for code. That is, for example, the processing circuity 902 and / or the processing circuitry 802 may consist merely of one or more ASICs. Hence, the features of the embodiments described herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0106] The computer program code mentioned above may also be provided, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the hardware. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120, the NMS 130 and / or the communication network node 140, and downloaded to the hardware at production, and / or during software updates.

[0107] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1100 includes components defined by the 0-RAN Alliance, such as an 0- Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0108] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1100 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0109] Hardware 1104 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1108a and 1108b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1108. The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0110] In the context of NFV, a VM 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to the application 1102.

[0111] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0112] Although a UE 900 has been used in the above embodiments, a person skilled in the art understands that the apparatus may also be a UE, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a virtual machine, a cloud-computing node, an edge node, any electronic device with a network interface chip, a network management node. Operations Sub-System (OSS), Network Management System (NMS) and a 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G / 6G network node.

[0113] The first communication device 110 and / or the second communication device 120 in the form of an loT device may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, home, city, wearable technology, extended reality, industrial application, and healthcare.

[0114] By way of example, the loT device for a home, an office, a building or an infrastructure may be a baking scale, a coffee machine, a grill, a fridge, a refrigerator, a freezer, a microwave oven, an oven, a toaster, a water tap, a water heater, a water geyser, a sauna, a vacuum cleaner, a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, a door, a window, a curtain, a blind, a furniture, a light bulb, a fan, an air-conditioner, a cooler, an air purifier, a humidifier, a speaker, a television, a laptop, a personal computer, a gaming console, a remote control, a vent, an iron, a steamer, a pressure cooker, a stove, an electric stove, a hair dryer, a hair styler, a mirror, a printer, a scanner, a photocopier, a projector, a hologram projector, a 3D printer, a drill, a hand-dryer, an alarm clock, a clock, a security camera, a smoke alarm, a fire alarm, a connected doorbell, an electronic door lock, a lawnmower, a thermostat, a plug, an irrigation control device, a flood sensor, a moisture sensor, a motion detector, a weather station, an electricity meter, a water meter, and a gas meter.

[0115] By further ways of example, the loT device for use in a city, urban, or rural areas may be connected street lighting, a connected traffic light, a traffic camera, a connected road sign, an air control / monitor, a noise level detector, a transport congestion monitoring device, a transport controlling device, an automated toll payment device, a parking payment device, a sensor for monitoring parking usage, a traffic management device, a digital kiosk, a bin, an air quality monitoring sensor, a bridge condition monitoring sensor, a fire hydrant, a manhole sensor, a tarmac sensor, a water fountain sensor, a connected closed circuit television, a scooter, a hoverboard, a ticketing machine, a ticket barrier, a metro rail, a metro station device, a passenger information panel, an onboard camera, and other connected device on a public transport vehicle.

[0116] As further way of example, the loT device may be a wearable device, or a device related to extended reality, wherein the device related to extended reality may be a device related to augmented reality, virtual reality, merged reality, or mixed reality. Examples of such loT devices may be a smart-band, a tracker, a haptic glove, a haptic suit, a smartwatch, clothes, eyeglasses, a head mounted display, an ear pod, an activity monitor, a fitness monitor, a heart rate monitor, a ring, a key tracker, a blood glucose meter, and a pressure meter.

[0117] As further ways of example, the loT device may be an industrial application device wherein an industrial application device may be an industrial unmanned aerial vehicle, an intelligent industrial robot, a vehicle assembly robot, and an automated guided vehicle.

[0118] As further ways of example, the loT device may be a transportation vehicle, wherein a transportation vehicle may be a bicycle, a motor bike, a scooter, a moped, an auto rickshaw, a rail transport, a train, a tram, a bus, a car, a truck, an airplane, a boat, a ship, a ski board, a snowboard, a snow mobile, a hoverboard, a skateboard, rollerskates, a vehicle for freight transportation, a drone, a robot, a stratospheric aircraft, an aircraft, a helicopter and a hovercraft.

[0119] As further ways of example, the loT device may be a health or fitness device, wherein a health or fitness device may be a surgical robot, an implantable medical device, a non-invasive medical device, and a stationary medical device which may be: an in-vitro diagnostic device, a radiology device, a diagnostic imaging device, and an x- ray device.

[0120] In an embodiment, one or more of the NMS 130, the first communication device 110 and the communication network node 140 may be implemented with a microservice-based architecture or a container-based architecture. In the example embodiment, one or more of the NMS 130, the first communication device 110 and the communication network node 140 may comprise a container orchestration platform such as Kubernetes, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Container Service and Portainer. In the example embodiment, the NMS 130, the first communication device 110 and the communication network node 140 may be configured to interact with a container orchestrator or the communication network node 140 may host the container orchestrator. The container orchestrator acts as an entity capable of automating deployment, management, scaling, and networking of containers or microservices. A container may comprise one or more microservices which enables easier orchestration of services including storage, networking and security. The NMS 130 is configured to maintain or retrieve a list of services and / or a list of containers hosted by the NMS 130, the first communication device 110, the second communication device 120 and any other node in the communication network 100. The NMS 130 is additionally configured to maintain or retrieve whether a service and / or a container hosted by the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 120 is part of a forbidden list or is untrusted. The first communication device 110 may comprise one or more services and / or containers. Any part of whole of the operations as described in relation to operation 200 may be performed by one or more services and / or containers hosted by the first communication device 110. Any part of whole of the operations as described in relation to operation 300 may be performed by one or more services and / or containers hosted by the second communication device 120. Any part of whole of the operations as described in relation to operation 400 may be performed by one or more services and / or containers hosted by the NMS 130. In some embodiments, a forbidden list may be referred to as a blocklist, blacklist, a grey list, a drop list, an unwanted list and / or a wanted list.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (200) performed by a first communication device (110; 710; 900), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises the first communication device, a second communication device (120; 720; 900) and a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), the method comprising: receiving (210), from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device; and ii) the second communication device; obtaining (220): i) a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device; ii) an indication of personal data in a header field of the second message; and iii) a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device; encrypting (230) a part of the second message comprising personal data, using the obtained cryptographic key, based on the obtained indication of personal data; and transmitting (240), to the second communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device either: a payload comprising the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message; or a payload comprising the second message.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising transmitting (250), to the NMS, a third message comprising information related to a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device, wherein the list comprises the second communication device.

3. The method according to claims 1 or 2, comprising receiving (260), from the NMS, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device, ii) the second communication device, and / or iii) the at least one communication device from the list.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the updated indication is received after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.6.The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText T ransfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

7. A method (300) performed by a second communication device (120; 720; 900), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises the second communication device, a first communication device (110; 710; 900) and a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), the method comprising: receiving (310), from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device and the first communication device; and a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device; receiving (320), from the first communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device either: a payload comprising an encrypted part of a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device and a remaining part of the second message, wherein the encrypted part of the second message comprises personal data; or a payload comprising a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device.

8. The method according to claim 7, comprising transmitting (330), to the NMS, a third message comprising information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the second communication device, wherein the list comprises the first communication device.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising receiving (340), from the NMS, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of: i) the first communication device, ii) the second communication device, and iii) the at least one communication device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the updated indication is received after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

13. A method (400) performed by a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises a first communication device (110; 710; 900), a second communication device (120; 720; 900) and the NMS, the method comprising: obtaining (410) an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device; transmitting (415), to the first communication device, a first message comprising the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device; generating (420) a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device; and distributing (425), to the first communication device, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

14. The method according to claim 13, comprising obtaining (430) information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device, wherein the list comprises the second communication device.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein obtaining an indication of a level of trust comprises receiving, from a communication network node (140; 760; 800), one or more of: the indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein obtaining an indication of a level of trust comprises comprising retrieving the indication of a level of trust for one or more of: i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, comprising receiving (435), from the first communication device, a third message comprising information about an updated list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, comprising transmitting (440), to one or more of: i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for each of i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the updated indication is sent after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

20. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, comprising generating (445) an updated cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in the second message.

21. The method according to claims 20, comprising distributing (450), to the first communication device, the updated cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 21, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 22, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText T ransfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

24. A first communication device (110), wherein a communication network (100) comprises the first communication device, a second communication device (120) and a network management system, NMS, (130), the first communication device adapted to: receive (210), from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device; and ii) the second communication device; obtain (220): i) a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device; ii) an indication of personal data in a header field of the second message; and iii) a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device; encrypt (230) a part of the second message comprising personal data, using the obtained cryptographic key, based on the obtained indication of personal data; and transmit (240), to the second communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device either: a payload comprising the encrypted part of the second message and a remaining part of the second message; or a payload comprising the second message.

25. The first communication device according to claim 24, adapted to transmit (250), to the NMS, a third message comprising information related to a list of at least onecommunication device directly reachable by the first communication device, wherein the list comprises the second communication device.

26. The first communication device according to claim 24 or 25, adapted to receive (260), from the NMS, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device, ii) the second communication device, and / or iii) the at least one communication device from the list.

27. The first communication device according to claim 26, wherein the updated indication is received after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

28. The first communication device according to any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.

29. The first communication device according to any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

30. A second communication device (120), wherein a communication network (100) comprises the second communication device, a first communication device (110) and a network management system, NMS, (130), the second communication device adapted to: receive (310), from the NMS, a first message comprising an indication of a level of trust for the second communication device and the first communication device; and a cryptographic key, from the NMS, based on the indication of the level of trust for the second communication device; receive (320), from the first communication device, based on the indication of the level of trust of the second communication device either: a payload comprising an encrypted part of a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device and a remaining part of the second message.wherein the encrypted part of the second message comprises personal data; or a payload comprising a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device.

31. The second communication device according to claim 30, adapted to transmit (330), to the NMS, a third message comprising information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the second communication device, wherein the list comprises the first communication device.

32. The second communication device according to claim 30 or 31, adapted to receive (340), from the NMS, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for one or more of: i) the first communication device, ii) the second communication device, and iii) the at least one communication device.

33. The second communication device according to claim 32, wherein the updated indication is received after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

34. The second communication device according to any one of claims 30 to 33, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.

35. The second communication device according to any one of claims 30 to 34, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

36. A network management system, NMS, (130), wherein a communication network (100) comprises a first communication device (110), a second communication device (120) and the NMS, the NMS adapted to: obtain (410) an indication of a level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device;transmit (415), to the first communication device, a first message comprising the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device and the second communication device; generate (420) a cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in a second message for transmission to or via the second communication device; and distribute (425), to the first communication device, the cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

37. The NMS according to claim 36, adapted to obtain (430) information about a list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device, wherein the list comprises the second communication device.

38. The NMS according to claim 36 or 37, wherein obtaining an indication of a level of trust comprises receiving, from a communication network node (140; 760; 800), one or more of: the indication of a level of trust for i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

39. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 38, wherein obtaining an indication of a level of trust comprises comprising retrieving the indication of a level of trust for one or more of: i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

40. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 39, adapted to receive (435), from the first communication device, a third message comprising information about an updated list of at least one communication device directly reachable by the first communication device.

41. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 40, adapted to transmit (440), to one or more of: i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device, a fourth message comprising an updated indication of a level of trust for each of i) the first communication device, and ii) the second communication device.

42. The NMS according to claim 41, wherein the updated indication is sent after a preconfigured time has elapsed.

43. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 42, adapted to generate (445) an updated cryptographic key for encryption of personal data in the second message.

44. The NMS according to claim 43, adapted to distribute (450), to the first communication device, the updated cryptographic key based on the indication of the level of trust for the first communication device.

45. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 44, wherein one or more of: the first communication device, the second communication device and the NMS comprises a microservice architecture.

46. The NMS according to any one of claims 36 to 45, wherein the second message comprises one of: i) a HyperText T ransfer Protocol, HTTP, message, ii) an HTTP secure, HTTPS, message, iii) a constrained application protocol, CoAP, message, and iv) a Representational state transfer, REST, protocol message.

47. A first communication device (110; 710; 900), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises the first communication device, a second communication device (120; 720; 900) and a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), the first communication device comprising: at least one processing circuitry (902); and at least one memory (910) connected to the at least one processing circuitry (902) and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

48. A second communication device (120; 720; 900), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises the second communication device, a first communication device (110; 710; 900) and a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), the second communication device comprising:at least one processing circuitry (902); and at least one memory (910) connected to the at least one processing circuitry (902) and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

49. A network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), wherein a communication network (100; 700) comprises a first communication device (110; 710; 900), a second communication device (120; 720; 900) and the NMS, the NMS comprising: at least one processing circuitry (802); and at least one memory (804) connected to the at least one processing circuitry (902) and storing program code that is executed by the at least one processing circuitry to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

50. A computer program (1020) comprising instructions which, when executed by at least one processing circuitry (902; 802) of: a first communication device (110; 710; 900), causes the first communication device to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and / or a second communication device (120; 720; 900), causes the second communication device to carry out the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12; and / or a network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), causes the NMS to carry out the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

51. A computer program product (1010) stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium (1030) and comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processing circuitry (802; 902) of: a first communication device (110; 710; 900), cause the first communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and / or a second communication device (120; 720; 900), cause the second communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12; and / ora network management system, NMS, (130; 750; 800), cause the NMS to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

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