New Technologies in Applied Cryptography and Network Security

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “New Technologies in Applied Cryptography and Network Security”, aims to explore recent advances and emerging trends at the intersection of cryptography and network security. We seek manuscripts presenting original research, comprehensive surveys, and innovative applications that demonstrate how cutting-edge cryptographic techniques are addressing evolving security challenges in modern and next-generation networked systems.

Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Post-quantum cryptography and its integration into real-world protocols;
• Lightweight and resource-efficient cryptographic schemes for IoT, edge, and embedded systems;
• Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies for secure communication and authentication;
• Secure multiparty computation, homomorphic encryption, and privacy-preserving machine learning;
• Threat modeling and mitigation in 5G/6G networks and cyber-physical systems;
• AI-driven cryptographic protocol design and security analytics.

By focusing on applied aspects, this Special Issue emphasizes practical solutions that are both theoretically sound and deployable in real-world settings, highlighting the role of interdisciplinary research in strengthening network security.

While foundational work in cryptography and network security has traditionally focused on theoretical constructs and general-purpose protocols, the recent literature has increasingly recognized the need for domain-specific adaptations and performance-aware implementations. Prior Special Issues and conferences have addressed secure protocol design, cryptanalysis, and theoretical advancements. However, this Special Issue uniquely emphasizes the application of cryptographic innovations in emerging networking environments such as cloud-native infrastructures, decentralized systems, and AI-integrated platforms.

This Special Issue complements and extends the existing literature by showcasing practical deployment scenarios alongside performance evaluations; case studies that reveal integration challenges and their real-world impact; and cross-disciplinary contributions that bridge cryptographic theory with systems engineering, artificial intelligence, and privacy policy.

Dr. Yan (Mia) Zhang
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. 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.