MDPI Future Internet Special Issue 2019 : Special Issue on Next-Generation Public-Key Infrastructures

Dear Colleagues,

Public-Key Infrastructures and digital certificates were initially associated with secure e-mail and digital documents, but they have now found their space in many areas of IT security, from networks to applications. However, the IoT landscape is changing quickly with the appearance of several new paradigms that might benefit from the application of PKI if twisted in a proper format or customized to respect specific constraints. As an example, consider Internet-of-Things (IoT) where authentication and integrity are primary concerns but there is a lack of computational power to adopt a standard PKI. Highly distributed architectures (such as those of smart cities, automotive applications, or personal smart devices) pose problems to PKI as the attacker may have physical access to the devices and hence directly threaten the keys or the trusted roots. Cloud computing, even when managed according to security standards, is another environment where keys and certificates must be properly managed to avoid weaknesses and permit proper forensic analysis in case of incidents.

This Special Issue calls for advanced applications of PKI to modern innovative environments, as well as advances in PKI foundations.

The list of possible topics includes, but is not limited to:

Innovative PKI applications for the protection of modern environments (e.g. IoT, smart-x, automotive, cloud computing, softwarized networks)
Innovative PKI architectures and protocols for traditional or next-generation IT environments
Solutions to the key-management and/or root-of-trust problems in constrained or untrusted environments

Prof. Antonio Lioy
Guest Editor