Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Electronics Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
Related Special Issue
Published Papers

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microwave and Wireless Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 March 2025 | Viewed by 17002

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tao Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD 4878, Australia
Interests: deep learning; intelligent sensing; computer vision; pattern recognition; wireless communications; IoT security
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Shihao Yan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Science, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA 6027,Australia
Interests: UAV-aided communications; covert communications; covert sensing; location spoofing detection; physical layer security; and IRS-aided wireless communications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Guanglin Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Communication Engineering, College of Information Science and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: mobile edge computing offloading; reinforcement learning for microgrids; online learning for VANET caching optimization for wireless networks; SDN and applications in UAV and the IoT for industry applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tsz Hon Yuen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Computer Science, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam 999077, Hong Kong
Interests: cryptography; privacy-preserving protocols; blockchain
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. YoHan Park

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Next-Generation Information Security Laboratory(NISL), College of Engineering, Keimyung University, Daegu 24601, Republic of Korea
Interests: network security; security of IoT; blockchain; post-quantum cryptography; ITS; formal analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Changhoon Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: cyber threat intelligence (CTI); information security; digital forensics; IoT and Cloud security; cryptography
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Jusak Jusak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Science and Technology, James Cook University, Singapore 387380, Singapore
Interests: IoT communication networks and protocol; IoT for healthcare; low-power wide-area IoT networks; IoT security; integration between IoT and blockchain technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Security and privacy have consistently been crucial concerns within wireless communication systems. To address these concerns effectively, innovative approaches to cryptography, physical layer transmission strategies, network protocols, and related regulations are in high demand. Over the past decade, wireless communication networks have witnessed significant advancements and transformations across various dimensions.

Primarily, the research focus within wireless communication systems has shifted from 5G to 6G, leading to heightened device connectivity and information flow within wireless networks. This transition has been accompanied by the emergence of novel applications, such as remote real-time medical services and patient care, which necessitate the exclusive reception and processing of confidential data by designated service providers.

Secondly, the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a key catalyst for automation in diverse domains, including smart homes, precision agriculture, and intelligent manufacturing. However, the design parameters for IoT systems, such as packet length, transmission patterns, and time delays, exhibit significant variations across different applications. Consequently, these variations present distinct challenges in security and privacy design. Notably, integrating lightweight cryptography is imperative to cater to the power constraints inherent in IoT systems.

Thirdly, the development and introduction of new technologies, such as intelligent reflection surfaces, edge/fog/cloud computing, blockchain, and artificial intelligence (AI), into the wireless communication system design bring new opportunities and challenges in guaranteeing information security and user privacy.

This Special Issue focuses on the latest research in protocols, software/hardware development and implementation, and system architecture design that addresses the emerging security and privacy issues in modern wireless communication networks. The scope of this Issue encompasses various relevant topics, including but not limited to the following:

Deep-learning-based security and privacy design;
Covert communications;
Security in UAV-assisted networks;
Information‒theoretical foundations for advanced security and privacy techniques;
Lightweight cryptography for power-constrained networks;
Physical layer key generation;
Prototype and testbed for security and privacy solutions;
Encryption and decryption algorithm for low-latency-constrained networks;
Security protocols for modern wireless communication networks;
Network intrusion detection;
Physical layer design with security consideration;
Anonymity in data transmission;
Vulnerabilities in security and privacy in modern wireless communication networks;
Challenges of security and privacy in node‒edge‒cloud computation;
Security and privacy design for low-power wide-area IoT networks;
Security and privacy design for vehicle networks;
Security and privacy design for underwater communications network;
Blockchain-based solutions for modern wireless communication networks.

Dr. Tao Huang
Dr. Shihao Yan
Prof. Dr. Guanglin Zhang
Dr. Tsz Hon Yuen
Dr. YoHan Park
Prof. Dr. Changhoon Lee
Dr. Jusak Jusak
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

physical layer security
covert communications
information‒theoretical foundations
lightweight cryptography
privacy
key generation
security protocols
intrusion detection
machine learning
blockchain
prototype and testbed

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems in Electronics (15 articles)

Published Papers (11 papers)

Download All Papers

Order results

Result details

Show export options Show export options

Select all

Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 512 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing Automotive Intrusion Detection Systems with Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions-Based Memory Protection

by Chathuranga Sampath Kalutharage, Saket Mohan, Xiaodong Liu and Christos Chrysoulas

Electronics 2025, 14(3), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14030474 - 24 Jan 2025

Viewed by 509

Abstract

The rapid integration of connected technologies in modern vehicles has introduced significant cybersecurity challenges, particularly in securing critical systems against advanced threats such as IP spoofing and rule manipulation. This study investigates the application of CHERI (Capability Hardware Enhanced RISC Instructions) to enhance the security of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) in automotive networks. By leveraging CHERI’s fine-grained memory protection and capability-based access control, the IDS ensures the robust protection of rule configurations against unauthorized access and manipulation. Experimental results demonstrate a 100% detection rate for spoofed IP packets and unauthorized rule modification attempts. The CHERI-enabled IDS framework achieves latency well within the acceptable limits defined by automotive standards for real-time applications, ensuring it remains suitable for safety-critical operations. The implementation on the ARM Morello board highlights CHERI’s practical applicability and low-latency performance in real-world automotive scenarios. This research underscores the potential of hardware-enforced memory safety in mitigating complex cyber threats and provides a scalable solution for securing increasingly connected and autonomous vehicles. Future work will focus on optimizing CHERI for resource-constrained environments and expanding its applications to broader automotive security use cases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

18 pages, 669 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lazy Modular Reduction for NTT

by Geumtae Kim, Eunyoung Seo, Yongwoo Lee, Young-Sik Kim and Jong-Seon No

Electronics 2024, 13(24), 4887; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13244887 - 11 Dec 2024

Viewed by 589

Abstract

The number theoretic transform (NTT) is a fundamental operation in cryptography, especially for lattice-based cryptographic schemes. This paper introduces LazyNTT, a novel method that reduces the number of Montgomery multiplications required in the NTT computation by replacing some of them with standard multiplication without modular reduction. This approach enhances the performance of the NTT computation and modular polynomial multiplication in lattice-based cryptographic schemes. The proposed LazyNTT can be generalized by increasing the number of standard multiplications. The experimental results show that the proposed LazyNTT improves the cycle counts of the NTT by up to

28 %

and

9 %

, respectively, by allowing two and one standard multiplications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 3454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Applied Analysis of Securing 5G/6G Core Networks with Post-Quantum Key Encapsulation Methods

by Paul Scalise, Robert Garcia, Matthew Boeding, Michael Hempel and Hamid Sharif

Electronics 2024, 13(21), 4258; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13214258 - 30 Oct 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1648

Abstract

Fifth Generation (5G) cellular networks have been adopted worldwide since the rollout began around 2019. It brought with it many innovations and new services, such as Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra Reliable and Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and Massive Internet of Things (mIoT). Furthermore, 5G introduced a more scalable approach to network operations using fully software-based Virtualized Network Functions (VNF) in Core Networks (CN) rather than the prior hardware-based approach. However, while this shift towards a fully software-based system design provides numerous significant benefits, such as increased interoperability, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, it also brings with it an increased cybersecurity risk. Security is crucial to maintaining trust between vendors, operators, and consumers. Cyberattacks are rapidly increasing in number and sophistication, and we are seeing a shift towards zero-trust approaches. This means that even communications between VNFs inside a 5G core must be scrutinized and hardened against attacks, especially with the advent of quantum computers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), over the past 10 years, has led efforts to standardize post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to protect against quantum attacks. This paper covers a custom implementation of the open-source free5GC CN, to expand its HTTPS capabilities for VNFs by introducing PQC Key Encapsulation Methods (KEM) for Transport Layer Security (TLS) v1.3. This paper provides the details of this integration with a focus on the latency of different PQC KEMs in initial handshakes between VNFs, on packet size, and the implications in a 5G environment. This work also conducts a security comparison between the PQC-equipped free5GC and other open-source 5G CNs. The presented results indicate a negligible increase in UE connection setup duration and a small increase in connection setup data requirements, strongly indicating that PQC KEM’s benefits far outweigh any downsides when integrated into 5G and 6G core services. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work incorporating PQC into an open-source 5G core. Furthermore, the results from this effort demonstrate that employing PQC ciphers for securing VNF communications results in only a negligible impact on latency and bandwidth usage, thus demonstrating significant benefits to 5G cybersecurity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Provably Quantum Secure Three-Party Mutual Authentication and Key Exchange Protocol Based on Modular Learning with Error

by Hyewon Park, Seunghwan Son, Youngho Park and Yohan Park

Electronics 2024, 13(19), 3930; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13193930 - 4 Oct 2024

Viewed by 941

Abstract

With the rapid development of quantum computers, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has become critical technology in the security field. PQC includes cryptographic techniques that are secure against quantum-computer-based attacks, utilizing methods such as code-based, isogeny-based, and lattice-based approaches. Among these, lattice-based cryptography is the most extensively studied due to its ease of implementation and efficiency. As quantum computing advances, the need for secure communication protocols that can withstand quantum computer-based threats becomes increasingly important. Traditional two-party AKE protocols have a significant limitation: the security of the entire system can be compromised if either of the communicating parties behaves maliciously. To overcome this limitation, researchers have proposed three-party AKE protocols, where a third party acts as an arbiter or verifier. However, we found that a recently proposed three-party AKE protocol is vulnerable to quantum-computer-based attacks. To address this issue, we propose a provably quantum secure three-party AKE protocol based on MLWE. The proposed scheme leverages the user’s biometric information and the server’s master key to prevent the exposure of critical parameters. We analyzed the security of the protocol using simulation tools such as the Burrows–Abadi–Needham (BAN) logic, Real-or-Random (RoR) model, and Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA). Furthermore, comparative analysis with similar protocols demonstrates that our protocol is efficient and suitable. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 4850 KiB

Open AccessArticle

IoT-GChain: Internet of Things-Assisted Secure and Tractable Grain Supply Chain Framework Leveraging Blockchain

by Karan Singh Thakur, Rohit Ahuja and Raman Singh

Electronics 2024, 13(18), 3740; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13183740 - 20 Sep 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1325

Abstract

The grain supply chain is crucial for any nation’s self-sustainability due to its huge impact on food security, economic stability, and the livelihoods of several people. The path grain takes from farmers to consumers is opaque and complicated, due to which consumers cannot trust grain quality and its origin. Although blockchain is widely used for fair and secure transactions between farmers and buyers, issues related to transparency and traceability in the grain supply chain, such as counterfeiting and middlemen involvement, have not been adequately addressed. To tackle these issues, a blockchain-based solution is proposed that unites farmers, warehouses, government central and state agencies, transporters, and food corporations on a single platform to enhance transparency, traceability, and trust among all parties. This system involves minting a non-fungible token (NFT) corresponding to each lot of grain approved by government officials. The NFT comprises grain quality, type, temperature data from sensors, weight, and ownership information, which updates as the grain lot moves across the supply chain from central agencies to state agencies and so on. NFTs enable stakeholders to track the grain lot from cultivation to end-users, providing insights into grain conditions and quality. An Internet of Things-based circuit is designed using a Digital-output relative humidity & temperature (DHT22) sensor, which offers real-time temperature and humidity readings, and geolocation coordinates are gathered from the GPS module across the supply chain. Farmers can directly interact with warehouses to sell grains, eliminating the need for middlemen and fostering trust among all parties. The proposed four-tier framework is implemented and deployed on the Ethereum network, with smart contracts interacting with React-based web pages. Analysis and results of the proposed model illustrate that it is viable, secure, and superior to the existing grain supply chain system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 5101 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Enhancing Scalability of C-V2X and DSRC Vehicular Communication Protocols with LoRa 2.4 GHz in the Scenario of Urban Traffic Systems

by Eduard Zadobrischi and Ștefan Havriliuc

Electronics 2024, 13(14), 2845; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142845 - 19 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2263

Abstract

In the realm of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), vehicular communication technologies such as Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X), and LoRa 2.4 GHz play crucial roles in enhancing road safety, reducing traffic congestion, and improving transport efficiency. This article explores the integration of these communication protocols within smart intersections, emphasizing their capabilities and synergies. DSRC, based on IEEE 802.11p, provides reliable short-range communication with data rates up to 27 Mbps and latencies below 50 ms, ideal for real-time safety applications. C-V2X leverages LTE and 5G networks, offering broader coverage up to 10 km and supporting data rates up to 100 Mbps, with latencies as low as 20 ms in direct communication mode (PC5). LoRa 2.4 GHz, known for its long-range (up to 15 km in rural areas, 1–2 km in urban settings) and low-power characteristics, offers data rates between 0.3 and 37.5 kbps, suitable for non-critical data exchange and infrastructure monitoring. The study evaluates the performance and interoperability of these technologies in urban environments, focusing on data latency, transmission reliability, and scalability. Experimental results from simulated and real-world scenarios show that DSRC maintains reliable communication within 1 km with minimal interference. C-V2X demonstrates superior scalability and coverage, maintaining robust communication over several kilometers in high-density urban settings. LoRa 2.4 GHz exhibits excellent penetration through urban obstacles, maintaining connectivity and efficient data transmission with packet error rates below 10%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 4393 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Architecture of Enhanced Profiling Assurance for IoT Networks

by Nut Aroon, Vicky Liu, Luke Kane, Yuefeng Li, Aklilu Daniel Tesfamicael and Matthew McKague

Electronics 2024, 13(14), 2832; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142832 - 18 Jul 2024

Viewed by 822

Abstract

Attacks launched from IoT networks can cause significant damage to critical network systems and services. IoT networks may contain a large volume of devices. Protecting these devices from being abused to launch traffic amplification attacks is critical. The manufacturer usage description (MUD) architecture uses pre-defined stateless access control rules to allow or block specific network traffic without stateful communication inspection. This can lead to false negative filtering of malicious traffic, as the MUD architecture does not include the monitoring of communication states to determine which connections to allow through. This study presents a novel solution, the enhanced profiling assurance (EPA) architecture. It incorporates both stateless and stateful communication inspection, a unique approach that enhances the detection effectiveness of the MUD architecture. EPA contains layered intrusion detection and prevention systems to monitor stateful and stateless communication. It adopts three-way decision theory with three outcomes: allow, deny, and uncertain. Packets that are marked as uncertain must be continuously monitored to determine access permission. Our analysis, conducted with two network scenarios, demonstrates the superiority of the EPA over the MUD architecture in detecting malicious activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 1990 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resilience against Catastrophic Cyber Incidents: A Multistakeholder Analysis of Cyber Insurance

by Brianna Bace, Elisabeth Dubois and Unal Tatar

Electronics 2024, 13(14), 2768; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142768 - 14 Jul 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1420

Abstract

Catastrophic cyber incidents—events of low probability but high impact, with the potential to incur billions of dollars in damages—are prompting insurers to elevate premiums, create higher barriers for potential buyers, and tighten policies with exclusions. While these responses of the insurance industry are important to prevent its insolvency during catastrophic incidents due to excessive claims, they lead to a notable gap in market protection. Using a content analysis of multistakeholder comments submitted in response to a Treasury Department Request for Information (RFI), this study seeks to define what constitutes a catastrophic cyber event, identify mitigation strategies, evaluate the current capacity of the cyber insurance sector to handle such incidents, and investigate the potential roles and support mechanisms that the government can provide to enhance the insurance sector’s capacity to manage these extreme risks. This paper is one of the pioneering studies using data and a multistakeholder perspective to provide essential guidance for policymakers, regulators, the insurance industry, and the cybersecurity sector in formulating robust policies and strategies to address catastrophic cyber risks, ultimately enhancing national economic and technological resilience. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1367 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Security and Trust in the 6G Era: Risks and Mitigations

by Giulio Tripi, Antonio Iacobelli, Lorenzo Rinieri and Marco Prandini

Electronics 2024, 13(11), 2162; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13112162 - 1 Jun 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1210

Abstract

The ubiquitous diffusion of connected devices in every context of the daily life of citizens, public bodies, and companies is stimulating the creation of new applications that require very high wireless communication performances. To fulfill this need, the sixth generation of communication standards (6G) is planned to roll out by 2030. While structuring this new standard, it is crucial to take into account the security aspects given the impact of the technologies that will rely on its reliability and resiliency. In this paper, we provide an overview of the technologies that will be used in 6G to achieve the required functional goals for the development of key applications. Then, we proceed to discuss the threats and the solutions to make the communications infrastructure secure and reliable, and finally, we elaborate on the concept of how to achieve trust in this scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 914 KiB

Open AccessArticle

LoRa Radio Frequency Fingerprinting with Residual of Variational Mode Decomposition and Hybrid Machine-Learning/Deep-Learning Optimization

by Gianmarco Baldini and Fausto Bonavitacola

Electronics 2024, 13(10), 1925; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13101925 - 14 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1285

Abstract

Radio Frequency Fingerprinting (RFF) refers to the technique for identifying and classifying wireless devices on the basis of their physical characteristics, which appear in the digital signal transmitted in space. Small differences in the radio frequency front-end of the wireless devices are generated across the same wireless device model during the implementation and manufacturing process. These differences create small variations in the transmitted signal, even if the wireless device is still compliant with the wireless standard. By using data analysis and machine-learning algorithms, it is possible to classify different electronic devices on the basis of these variations. This technique has been well proven in the literature, but research is continuing to improve the classification performance, robustness to noise, and computing efficiency. Recently, Deep Learning (DL) has been applied to RFF with considerable success. In particular, the combination of time-frequency representations and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) has been particularly effective, but this comes at a great computational cost because of the size of the time-frequency representation and the computing time of CNN. This problem is particularly challenging for wireless standards, where the data to be analyzed is extensive (e.g., long preambles) as in the case of the LoRa (Long Range) wireless standard. This paper proposes a novel approach where two pre-processing steps are adopted to (1) improve the classification performance and (2) to decrease the computing time. The steps are based on the application of Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) where (in opposition to the known literature) the residual of the VMD application is used instead of the extracted modes. The concept is to remove the modes, which are common among the LoRa devices, and keep with the residuals the unique intrinsic features, which are related to the fingerprints. Then, the spectrogram is applied to the residual component. Even after this step, the computing complexity of applying CNN to the spectrogram is high. This paper proposes a novel step where only segments of the spectrogram are used as input to CNN. The segments are selected using a machine-learning approach applied to the features extracted from the spectrogram using the Local Binary Pattern (LBP). The approach is applied to a recent LoRa radio frequency fingerprinting public data set, where it is shown to significantly outperform the baseline approach based on the full use of the spectrogram of the original signal in terms of both classification performance and computing complexity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3650 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Forensic Analysis of File Exfiltrations Using AnyDesk, TeamViewer and Chrome Remote Desktop

by Xabiel G. Pañeda, David Melendi, Víctor Corcoba, Alejandro G. Pañeda, Roberto García and Dan García

Electronics 2024, 13(8), 1429; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13081429 - 10 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3260

Abstract

The use of remote desktop applications has increased greatly in recent years, mainly because of the generalization of telecommuting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This process has been carried out in a very controlled manner in some companies, but in other organizations it has been introduced in a more anarchic way. The direct use of on-premises company computers and resources from the internet without the necessary protection mechanisms, including VPNs, has increased the risk of data exfiltration. Apart from other types of data exfiltration, there are cases in which employees transfer files using encrypted communications, consciously or unconsciously, producing a leak of information undetected by data loss prevention systems. In this paper we analyse the question of whether a forensic investigation may answer questions about data exfiltrations; questions such as those regarding the when, what and who (or to whom) and the use of application logs and other available tools. The answers to these questions may form the basis of solid digital evidence for legal purposes, though they may only deliver a partial response to said questions. Other complementary sources are necessary to build a complete answer and accurate digital evidence. Nevertheless, we have identified and analysed several use cases that may help to raise an early alarm that can offer warning about certain behaviours in encrypted traffic that may be detected via network monitoring. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition)

► Show Figures

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Security and Privacy for Modern Wireless Communication Systems, 2nd Edition

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (11 papers)

Research

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI