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Security and Privacy in Next-Generation Mobile Networks: Challenges, Solutions, and Innovations

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensor Networks".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 2146

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid evolution of mobile networks, particularly with the advent of 5G and the development of 6G technologies, is revolutionizing communication and connectivity. These next-generation mobile networks promise unprecedented speed, reliability, and capacity, enabling a new era of Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous systems, smart cities, and ubiquitous connectivity. However, this transformation also introduces significant challenges in terms of privacy and security. These networks’ increased complexity and interconnectivity create a larger attack surface, making them more vulnerable to sophisticated cyber threats.

This Special Issue addresses the critical privacy and security issues in next-generation mobile networks. We invite original research articles, review papers, and case studies that explore new theories, methodologies, and applications in this field. Contributions may include but are not limited to the following topics:

Privacy-preserving techniques in 5G and 6G networks: Research on advanced cryptographic protocols, privacy-enhancing technologies, and data anonymization methods designed to protect user data in mobile networks.

Security frameworks for IoT and edge computing: Innovative approaches to securing IoT devices and edge computing infrastructures in the context of next-generation mobile networks.

Threat detection and mitigation: Development of advanced threat detection systems, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and countermeasure strategies to protect mobile networks against cyber-attacks.

Authentication and access control: Novel authentication mechanisms, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometrics, and blockchain-based access control systems, are tailored for mobile environments.

Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) in mobile security: Applications of blockchain and DLT for enhancing security, privacy, and trust in mobile networks.

Secure communication protocols: Design and analysis of secure communication protocols that ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability in next-generation mobile networks.

Quantum-resistant algorithms: Exploration of post-quantum cryptography and its applications in securing future mobile networks against quantum computing threats.

Dr. YoHan Park
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • next-generation mobile networks
  • 5G and 6G security
  • privacy-preserving techniques
  • IoT security
  • edge computing
  • cybersecurity
  • blockchain and DLT
  • post-quantum cryptography

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

28 pages, 623 KB  
Article
A PUF-Based Secure and Lightweight Authentication Protocol for Medical IoT Environments
by Hyeongeun Lim, Yohan Park and Youngho Park
Sensors 2026, 26(10), 3223; https://doi.org/10.3390/s26103223 - 19 May 2026
Abstract
The development of sensor and communication technology has enabled the Internet of Things in healthcare. In Medical Internet of Things (MIoT) environments, sensors support real-time patient monitoring, remote diagnosis, and early disease detection. However, communication between users and sensors over public channels is [...] Read more.
The development of sensor and communication technology has enabled the Internet of Things in healthcare. In Medical Internet of Things (MIoT) environments, sensors support real-time patient monitoring, remote diagnosis, and early disease detection. However, communication between users and sensors over public channels is vulnerable to various security attacks, making secure and lightweight authentication with session key establishment essential for protecting medical data. Recently, a lightweight and anonymous authentication protocol for MIoT environments was proposed using Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs); however, we show that their protocol is vulnerable to eavesdropping, stolen verifier, and ephemeral secret leakage attacks, and fails to guarantee untraceability. To address these weaknesses, we propose a secure and lightweight PUF-based authentication protocol for MIoT environments. The security of our protocol is formally verified using Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic, the Real-or-Random model, and the Scyther tool. Furthermore, the practical validation of the proposed protocol is conducted on a hardware platform along with an evaluation of energy consumption based on the MIRACL cryptographic library. Performance comparisons demonstrate that our protocol achieves enhanced security properties with minimal computational overhead and communication costs. Ultimately, this research provides a secure and robust architectural option for healthcare applications aiming to preserve patient privacy in resource-constrained MIoT. Full article
20 pages, 778 KB  
Article
Relay Selection for Covert Communication with an Active Warden
by Jong Yeol Ryu and Jung Hoon Lee
Sensors 2025, 25(13), 3934; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25133934 - 24 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1264
Abstract
In this paper, we consider covert communication with multiple relays and an active warden who not only sends jamming signals but also aims to detect the covert transmission. In the relay system with the active warden, the most critical factor is the channel [...] Read more.
In this paper, we consider covert communication with multiple relays and an active warden who not only sends jamming signals but also aims to detect the covert transmission. In the relay system with the active warden, the most critical factor is the channel between the relay and the warden, as the warden leverages this channel to transmit jamming signals while trying to detect the presence of covert communication. To mitigate the impact of the active warden, we propose a relay selection scheme that selects the relay with the minimum channel gain to the warden. We analyze the performance of the proposed scheme and demonstrate how increasing the number of relays leads to performance improvements based on analytical results. Numerical results show that the analytical predictions closely match the simulations, and our proposed scheme effectively increases the covert rate while minimizing the threat posed by the active warden. Full article
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