Network slicing in 3GPP 5G system architecture has introduced significant improvements in the flexibility and efficiency of mobile communication. However, this new functionality poses challenges in maintaining the privacy of mobile users, especially in multi-hop environments. In this paper, we propose a secure and privacy-preserving network slicing protocol (SPNS) that combines 5G network slicing and onion routing to address these challenges and provide secure and efficient communication. Our approach enables mobile users to select network slices while incorporating measures to prevent curious RAN nodes or external attackers from accessing full slice information. Additionally, we ensure that the 5G core network can authenticate all RANs, while avoiding reliance on a single RAN for service provision. Besides, SPNS implements end-to-end encryption for data transmission within the network slices, providing an extra layer of privacy and security. Finally, we conducted extensive experiments to evaluate the time cost of establishing network slice links under varying conditions. SPNS provides a promising solution for enhancing the privacy and security of communication in 5G networks.

翻译：3GPP 5G系统架构中的网络切片为移动通信的灵活性与效率带来了显著提升。然而，这一新功能在维护移动用户隐私方面（尤其在多跳环境中）带来了挑战。本文提出一种结合5G网络切片与洋葱路由的安全隐私保护网络切片协议（SPNS），以应对上述挑战并提供安全高效的通信。该方案使移动用户能够选择网络切片，同时采取措施防止好奇的RAN节点或外部攻击者获取完整的切片信息。此外，我们确保5G核心网能够对所有RAN进行认证，同时避免依赖单一RAN提供服务。SPNS还在网络切片内对数据传输实现端到端加密，提供额外的隐私与安全层。最后，我们通过大量实验评估了在不同条件下建立网络切片链路的时间成本。SPNS为增强5G网络通信的隐私性与安全性提供了有前景的解决方案。