Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
2.5
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Trends and Prospects in Software Security
applsci-logo
Submit to Applied Sciences Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Trends and Prospects in Software Security

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Computing and Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2026) | Viewed by 6017

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Zhanyong Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Information Science and Technology, Northwest University, Xi 'an 710069, China
Interests: system and software security; wireless sensing identification and authentication; artificial intelligence security

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the digital age, software is the lifeblood of our technological ecosystem. As we stand on the cusp of a new era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), the importance of software security has grown exponentially. The convergence of AI and software has opened a Pandora's box of opportunities and challenges. AI has enhanced the capabilities of software, enabling automation, intelligent decision making, and unprecedented data processing. However, its evolution also means that the security stakes are higher than ever. Malicious actors are constantly evolving their tactics and exploiting the complex interdependencies and vulnerabilities in software systems. This Special Issue aims to delve into the trends and perspectives of software security.

We aim to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, and industry experts from around the world to share their latest findings and insights on software security in the context of AI. By bringing together different perspectives, we hope to stimulate discussions and collaborations that can lead to innovative solutions and policies. We invite researchers to submit their contributions to this Special Issue. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following：

  • Software security in the convergence of emerging technologies;
  • Software security encryption mechanisms;
  • The application of artificial intelligence algorithms in software vulnerability detection and repair;
  • New malware propagation patterns;
  • Common attack types and preventive measures against IoT software;
  • Software supply chain attack case analysis and defense system construction;
  • Software security assessment and standards;
  • New methods of software fuzzy testing;
  • Software and code protection.

Prof. Dr. Zhanyong Tang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • system and software security
  • artificial intelligence
  • information security
  • privacy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Other

28 pages, 425 KB  
Article
SecureLLM: A Unified Framework for Privacy-Focused Large Language Models
by Konstantinos Kalodanis, Sotirios Papadopoulos, Georgios Feretzakis, Panagiotis Rizomiliotis and Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(8), 4180; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15084180 - 10 Apr 2025
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4706
Abstract
Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable skills across various activities, including text generation and code synthesis. Their widespread applicability, however, raises substantial concerns about security, privacy, and possibly misuse. Of recent legislative efforts, the most notable is the proposed EU AI Act, [...] Read more.
Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable skills across various activities, including text generation and code synthesis. Their widespread applicability, however, raises substantial concerns about security, privacy, and possibly misuse. Of recent legislative efforts, the most notable is the proposed EU AI Act, which classifies specific AI applications as high-risk. For detailed regulatory guidance, also refer to the GDPR and HIPAA privacy rules. This paper introduces SecureLLM, a novel framework that integrates lightweight cryptographic protocols, decentralized fine-tuning strategies, and differential privacy to mitigate data leakage and adversarial attacks in LLM ecosystems. We propose SecureLLM as a conceptual security architecture for LLMs, offering a unified approach that can be adapted and tested in real-world deployments. While extensive empirical benchmarks are deferred to future studies, we include a small-scale demonstration illustrating how differential privacy can reduce membership inference risks with a manageable overhead. The SecureLLM framework underscores the potential of cryptography, differential privacy, and decentralized fine-tuning for creating safer and more compliant AI systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends and Prospects in Software Security)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 919 KB  
Systematic Review
The Principle of Least Privilege in Microservices: A Systematic Mapping Study
by Shouki A. Ebad and Marwa Amara
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(3), 1495; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16031495 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 759
Abstract
While Microservice Architectures (MSAs) offer enhanced scalability and maintenance, they introduce significant complexity for access control and, specifically, the rigorous enforcement of the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). This lack of clear privilege boundaries is a major security vulnerability in microservice-based systems. To [...] Read more.
While Microservice Architectures (MSAs) offer enhanced scalability and maintenance, they introduce significant complexity for access control and, specifically, the rigorous enforcement of the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP). This lack of clear privilege boundaries is a major security vulnerability in microservice-based systems. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic mapping study to provide a comprehensive guide and taxonomy on implementing PoLP in MSA. We identify and categorize existing mechanisms, best practices, and the technical and non-technical challenges encountered during implementation. The systematic search identified 25 primary studies, revealing a significant contribution from journal venues, particularly Computers & Security. Key findings detail the top technical challenges, including performance overhead, fragile container isolation, and authentication/authorization gaps inherent in service-to-service communication. Proposed mechanisms are categorized into four groups: policy and access control, code and configuration hardening, runtime/kernel-level methods, and general frameworks. Similarly, organizational challenges are grouped by people/culture, tooling/architecture, process/governance, and resource/expertise. This study provides a valuable roadmap and taxonomy for diverse security stakeholders. The identified research gaps—concerning AI integration, DevSecOps adoption, education, and dynamic analysis—underscore the need to shift from the currently predominantly theoretical approaches towards practical, experimental research to advance the real-world application of PoLP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends and Prospects in Software Security)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop