Beyond Boundaries: Holistic Network Security in an Age of IoT, AI, ML, and Decentralized Computing

Dear Colleagues,

In the rapidly metamorphosing digital cosmos, the quintessential pillars of IoT, AI, ML, and decentralized computing are introducing both unprecedented opportunities and challenges. While these technologies weave a richer digital tapestry, they also amplify the vulnerabilities in our network architectures. This Special Issue, "Beyond Boundaries: Holistic Network Security in an Age of IoT, AI, ML, and Decentralized Computing", endeavors to address these complex intersections, unearthing the transformative potential of these technologies in reshaping network security paradigms. Modern network security is no longer just about firewalls and intrusion detection systems. It is about predicting vulnerabilities before they can be exploited, adapting in real-time to emerging threats, and ensuring data integrity across myriad nodes, many of which were unimaginable a decade ago. The intricate mesh formed by billions of IoT devices introduces both complexity and vulnerability. They present attractive targets for malicious entities, given their often-limited security protocols and vast distribution. It is challenging to safeguard a world in which every appliance, vehicle, and utility could be a potential breach point.

AI and ML are powerful computational tools that can sift through vast datasets, identifying patterns and anomalies, predicting vulnerabilities, and even automating responses to certain types of threats. They herald the transformation from reactive to proactive security postures. However, they also bring about their own set of security challenges. Ensuring the algorithms themselves are robust and immune to manipulations is a difficult task. Furthermore, the decentralized realms of Fog and Edge computing makes the networking environment more complex in terms of security. As data processing moves closer to the source, we are faced with the challenge of ensuring that each of these decentralized nodes is as secure as a centralized data center. One of the aims of this Special Issue is to incorporate innovative methodologies that can be employed to make these computing paradigms both efficient and secure.

Dr. Ranesh Naha
Dr. Abdullahi Chowdhury
Guest Editor

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• holistic network security
• IoT vulnerabilities
• ML-based threat detection
• Fog computing security
• decentralized data security and integrity
• advanced security protocols
• predictive cybersecurity