The field of 5G networks is moving towards increased security and autonomy, with a focus on developing innovative solutions to protect against emerging threats. Recent research has highlighted the importance of multi-layer defence frameworks, AI-driven cybersecurity testbeds, and autonomous agents that can reason about policy compliance. These advances have the potential to significantly improve the security and efficiency of 5G networks, enabling the widespread adoption of critical applications such as smart cities and industrial automation. Noteworthy papers in this area include the proposal of a multi-layer defence framework for securing near-real-time operations in Open RAN, which demonstrates effective detection rates and low latency overheads. Another notable paper presents an AI-driven cybersecurity testbed for nuclear infrastructure, which delivers practical performance benchmarks and reference architecture for advancing AI-based cybersecurity capabilities. Additionally, the development of an xApp store framework for xApp onboarding and deployment in O-RAN is a significant step towards enabling autonomous operation in the RAN. The introduction of ProtO-RU, an open-source O-RAN Split-7.2 Radio Unit, also opens up new opportunities for RU-level innovations and lowers the barrier of entry for end-to-end O-RAN research.