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Electronics
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Network Protocols and Cybersecurity
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Network Protocols and Cybersecurity

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 April 2025) | Viewed by 5276

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Savitri Bevinakoppa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of IT, Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: computer networks; network security; cyber security; data analytics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ammar Alazab

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of IT, Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: cybercrime and cyber security; network security; data science; digital forensics; machine learning and data mining; mobile computing; cloud computing; IoT security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bhagwan Das

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of IT, Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: cybersecurity; networks; data analytics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

At present, network protocols serve as the backbone of modern communication systems, enabling seamless data transfer across various devices and platforms. However, with the increasing reliance on technology, cyber threats have grown more sophisticated and pervasive, posing significant challenges to the security and integrity of network communications. This Special Issue aims to explore the latest advancements, research, and innovations in the realms of Network Protocols and Cybersecurity, shedding light on emerging threats, mitigation strategies, and cutting-edge solutions.

Scope and Topics This Special Issue seeks submissions covering a wide array of topics related to Network Protocols and Cybersecurity, including, but not limited to:

  1. The security of Network Protocols
  2. IoT Security and Protocols;
  3. Blockchain Technology and Cybersecurity;
  4. Machine Learning for Network Security;
  5. Cyber Threat Intelligence;
  6. Network Forensics and Incident Response;
  7. Software-Defined Networking (SDN) Security;
  8. Next-Generation Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems;
  9. Securing Cloud Networks;
  10. 5G Network Security;
  11. IPv6 Deployment and Security;
  12. Mobile and Wireless Network Protocols;
  13. Multicast and Group Communication Protocols;
  14. Quality of Service (QoS) and Traffic Management;
  15. Network Time Synchronization;
  16. Routing Protocols;
  17. Network Congestion Control;
  18. Network Virtualization and Overlays;
  19. Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Communication;
  20. Protocol Verification and Formal Methods;
  21. Coexistence of Multiple Protocols;
  22. Energy-Efficient Protocols;
  23. Cross-Layer Protocol Design;
  24. Congestion Control in Software-Defined Networks;
  25. Protocol Adaptation for IoT Devices;
  26. Multimedia Streaming Protocols;
  27. Network Protocols for Edge Computing;
  28. Reliability and Fault Tolerance;
  29. Network Protocols for Cyber-Physical Systems;
  30. The integration of Quantum Communication Protocols.

Prof. Dr. Savitri Bevinakoppa
Dr. Ammar Alazab
Dr. Bhagwan Das
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Electronics 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

  • cybersecurity
  • network protocol

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 1104 KiB  
Article
6Trace: An Effective Method for Active IPv6 Topology Discovery
by Zhaobin Shen, Pan Chen, Yi Xie, Chiyu Chen, Yongheng Zhang and Guozheng Yang
Electronics 2025, 14(2), 343; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14020343 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 702
Abstract
Scanning the large-scale topology of the IPv6 internet presents a significant challenge in network engineering, particularly for understanding the underlying network structure and assessing network security. The sheer size of the IPv6 address space makes traditional brute-force scanning techniques, such as traceroute, inefficient [...] Read more.
Scanning the large-scale topology of the IPv6 internet presents a significant challenge in network engineering, particularly for understanding the underlying network structure and assessing network security. The sheer size of the IPv6 address space makes traditional brute-force scanning techniques, such as traceroute, inefficient and impractical. Existing methodologies are often unable to cope with the inherent complexity of IPv6’s network structure and its probing requirements, leading to issues such as redundant probes, ICMPv6 rate limits, and network congestion. To address these challenges, this paper introduces 6Trace, an innovative solution that mitigates the impact of rate-limiting and congestion by distributing scanning traffic across the network. Furthermore, 6Trace incorporates a stateless, asynchronous scanning approach combined with a bisection-like dynamic probing strategy, significantly reducing redundancy. Experimental results demonstrate that 6Trace enhances scanning efficiency by 70% over current solutions, discovering the maximum number of interface addresses while minimizing probing time. Notably, this paper also provides the first comprehensive analysis of topology probing results across different types of target networks. The insights gained from this study will inform future research on optimal target selection and IPv6 internet measurement techniques. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Network Protocols and Cybersecurity)
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35 pages, 1081 KiB  
Article
A Practical Approach to Formal Methods: An Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Security Protocols
by Rémi Garcia and Paolo Modesti
Electronics 2024, 13(23), 4660; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13234660 - 26 Nov 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1253
Abstract
In order to develop trustworthy distributed systems, verification techniques and formal methods, including lightweight and practical approaches, have been employed to certify the design or implementation of security protocols. Lightweight formal methods offer a more accessible alternative to traditional fully formalised techniques by [...] Read more.
In order to develop trustworthy distributed systems, verification techniques and formal methods, including lightweight and practical approaches, have been employed to certify the design or implementation of security protocols. Lightweight formal methods offer a more accessible alternative to traditional fully formalised techniques by focusing on simplified models and tool support, making them more applicable in practical settings. The technical advantages of formal verification over manual testing are increasingly recognised in the cybersecurity community. However, applying formal methods, even in their more practical forms, outside highly specialised research settings remains challenging. For practitioners, formal modelling and verification are often too complex and unfamiliar to be used routinely. In this paper, we present an Eclipse Integrated Development Environment for the design, verification, and implementation of security protocols and evaluate its effectiveness, including feedback from users in educational settings. It offers user-friendly assistance in the formalisation process as part of a Model-Driven Development approach. This IDE centres around the Alice & Bob (AnB) notation, the AnBx Compiler and Code Generator, the OFMC model checker, and the ProVerif cryptographic protocol verifier. For the evaluation, we identify the six most prominent limiting factors for formal method adoption, based on relevant literature in this field, and we consider the IDE’s effectiveness against those criteria. Additionally, we conducted a structured survey to collect feedback from university students who have used the toolkit for their projects. The findings demonstrate that this contribution is valuable as a workflow aid and helps users grasp essential cybersecurity concepts, even for those with limited knowledge of formal methods or cryptography. Crucially, users reported that the IDE has been an important component to complete their projects and that they would use again in the future, given the opportunity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Network Protocols and Cybersecurity)
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23 pages, 3447 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Layered Defence Strategy against DDoS Attacks in SDN/NFV-Based 5G Mobile Networks
by Morteza Sheibani, Savas Konur, Irfan Awan and Amna Qureshi
Electronics 2024, 13(8), 1515; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13081515 - 16 Apr 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1876
Abstract
Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) are crucial technologies for integration in the fifth generation of cellular networks (5G). However, they also pose new security challenges, and a timely research subject is working on intrusion detection systems (IDSs) for 5G networks. [...] Read more.
Software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualisation (NFV) are crucial technologies for integration in the fifth generation of cellular networks (5G). However, they also pose new security challenges, and a timely research subject is working on intrusion detection systems (IDSs) for 5G networks. Current IDSs suffer from several limitations, resulting in a waste of resources and some security threats. This work proposes a new three-layered solution that includes forwarding and data transport, management and control, and virtualisation layers, emphasising distributed controllers in the management and control layer. The proposed solution uses entropy detection to classify arriving packets as normal or suspicious and then forwards the suspicious packets to a centralised controller for further processing using a self-organising map (SOM). A dynamic OpenFlow switch relocation method is introduced based on deep reinforcement learning to address the unbalanced burden among controllers and the static allocation of OpenFlow switches. The proposed system is analysed using the Markov decision process, and a Double Deep Q-Network (DDQN) is used to train the system. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in mitigating DDoS attacks, efficiently balancing controller workloads, and reducing the duration of the balancing process in 5G networks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Network Protocols and Cybersecurity)
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