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Innovations in Cybersecurity and Internet of Things for Sustainable Energy Systems

A Special Issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073) belonging to the section "F5: Artificial Intelligence and Smart Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2026) | Viewed by 627

Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid global transition toward sustainable and low-carbon energy systems is increasingly underpinned by digital technologies, particularly the Internet of Things (IoT), advanced communication networks and data-driven intelligence. Smart grids, distributed renewable generation, energy storage, electric vehicles and demand-side management systems rely heavily on interconnected cyber–physical infrastructures to ensure efficiency, resilience and reliability. While these technologies offer significant opportunities to enhance energy sustainability, they also introduce complex cybersecurity, privacy and dependability challenges that, if unaddressed, may undermine system stability, safety and public trust.

This Special Issue invites original research contributions at the intersection of cybersecurity, IoT technologies and sustainable energy systems. We seek high-quality papers that advance the scientific understanding and practical implementation of secure digital solutions for energy applications.

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

  • Secure IoT architectures for smart grids and microgrids
  • Cybersecurity risk assessment and threat modelling for energy cyber–physical systems
  • AI-driven intrusion detection and anomaly monitoring in energy networks
  • Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies for energy security
  • Privacy-preserving data analytics for demand response systems
  • Resilience strategies against cyber–physical attacks on critical energy infrastructure
  • Secure communications and edge intelligence for energy IoT
  • Privacy-preserving data analytics for energy management
  • Cybersecurity considerations for electric vehicle charging infrastructure and energy storage systems

Contributions that demonstrate clear relevance to energy sustainability—such as improving energy efficiency, enhancing system reliability, reducing operational risks or supporting large-scale renewable integration—are particularly encouraged. Both simulation-based studies and real-world deployments, as well as comprehensive reviews that identify emerging challenges and research directions, are welcome.

By bringing together researchers, practitioners and policymakers, this Special Issue aims to advance the state of the art in secure and intelligent energy systems, supporting the reliable operation of future sustainable energy infrastructures and contributing to the broader goals of energy security, resilience and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Bernardi Pranggono
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies 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 2600 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
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • sustainable energy systems
  • smart grids
  • renewable energy integration
  • anomaly detection
  • artificial intelligence for energy security
  • privacy-preserving energy data analytics
  • electric vehicle charging infrastructure
  • microgrids
  • blockchain for energy security
  • critical energy infrastructure protection

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

48 pages, 1237 KB  
Article
Software Supply-Chain Security of Containerized IoT Components for Sustainable Energy Systems: A Comparative Vulnerability Assessment Using Trivy and Grype
by Anna Manowska and Mikołaj Hejnosz
Energies 2026, 19(16), 3859; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19163859 - 17 Aug 2026
Viewed by 321
Abstract
The digitalization of sustainable energy systems increasingly relies on containerized Internet of Things services deployed across cloud–edge architectures. These services introduce software supply-chain risks associated with public container images and their dependencies. This study evaluates 22 container images representing 13 official or vendor-maintained [...] Read more.
The digitalization of sustainable energy systems increasingly relies on containerized Internet of Things services deployed across cloud–edge architectures. These services introduce software supply-chain risks associated with public container images and their dependencies. This study evaluates 22 container images representing 13 official or vendor-maintained technologies used for data storage and processing, communication, proxy and API services, and application runtime environments. Each image was analysed using Trivy and Grype, resulting in 44 vulnerability scans performed using vulnerability databases available on 14 June 2026. The effect of image minimization was assessed using five strictly matched standard–minimized pairs, while scanner agreement was evaluated for all images using unique CVE sets, the Jaccard coefficient, and symmetrical and directional Tversky indices. Across the complete sample, Trivy reported 7006 vulnerability findings and Grype reported 2299. Within the strictly matched sample, findings decreased from 5181 to 193 for Trivy and from 982 to 290 for Grype. However, these reductions were strongly influenced by the Ruby image, and the exact Wilcoxon signed-rank test did not confirm a statistically significant general minimization effect (p=0.250). Redis, HAProxy, and Ruby showed substantial reductions, whereas Caddy remained unchanged and both .NET SDK variants produced zero findings. The set-based analysis revealed incomplete and asymmetric agreement between the scanners, demonstrating that similar aggregate counts may represent different CVE profiles. Operational prioritization of six selected image variants further showed differences in remediation availability, EPSS scores, and CISA KEV inclusion. The results indicate that image minimization can reduce scanner findings but does not independently confirm container security. A multi-tool DevSecOps process combining immutable digest verification, Software Bills of Materials, vulnerability prioritization, image rebuilding, and continuous rescanning is therefore recommended. Full article
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