Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity: Challenges and Opportunities

Notification Due

Jun 25, 2026

Final Version Due

Jun 25, 2026

Submission Deadline

Aug 01, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

Artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms the cybersecurity landscape, presenting unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges. This Special Issue of the Applied Sciences (MDPI) Journal will explore this evolving relationship, delving into the latest research, innovations, and critical analyses at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity.

We invite you to contribute with papers that cover a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

– AI-based threat detection and response;

– AI for security analytics and threat intelligence;

– AI in malware detection and analysis;

– Automated vulnerability assessment and penetration testing using AI;

– AI for risk assessment and compliance management in cybersecurity;

– Adversarial machine learning in cybersecurity;

– Robustness and reliability of AI-based cybersecurity systems;

– Privacy and ethical considerations in AI-driven cybersecurity.

Applied Sciences (MDPI) is an open-access journal that is free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid

by authors or their institutions. The papers are indexed within Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), Inspec,

CAPlus / SciFinder, and other databases.

The Applied Sciences (MDPI) journal ranking is very good: JCR—Q1 (Engineering, Multidisciplinary) / CiteScore—Q1.

(General Engineering).

We expect this Special Issue to provide a timely and significant platform for researchers and practitioners to present their latest findings and foster collaboration in this rapidly evolving field. We are excited to receive your contributions.

Guest Editors,

Dr. Emil Pricop, Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti, Ploiesti, Romania

Dr. Khalil El-Khatib, Institute for Cybersecurity and Resilient Systems (ICRS), Faculty of Business and Information Technology, Ontario Tech University, Canada