In recent years, the convergence of biomedical sciences with advanced cyber and physical technologies has given rise to a transformative field known as biomedical human-cyber-physical systems (HCPS). These systems represent a ground-breaking integration of biological entities, digital interfaces, and physical components, with the goal of revolutionizing healthcare delivery, patient monitoring, and medical diagnostics. By seamlessly combining human physiology with cybernetic interfaces and physical devices, biomedical HCPS promises to improve medical outcomes, improve quality of life, and even reshape our understanding of healthcare standards. However, this convergence also introduces complex challenges, especially regarding security and privacy issues, beyond the obvious interoperability difficulties. Therefore, understanding the intricacies of biomedical HCPS and developing robust solutions to ensure their safe and effective operation is paramount to unlocking their full potential to benefit both individuals and societies.

Scope of the Special Issue

The main scope of the special issue focused on ‘Security and Privacy Solutions for Biomedical Human-Cyber-Physical Systems’ would be to offer highlights on various aspects of cybersecurity and privacy within biomedical HCPS, ranging from novel encryption techniques and authentication protocols to advanced intrusion detection systems and secure software development practices. In addition, submissions that explore data protection and anonymization approaches, physical security issues, and regulatory compliance measures are welcome, as are studies that focus on education and training initiatives to promote a security-conscious culture among stakeholders. Furthermore, research highlighting innovative approaches to continuous monitoring, incident response, and the integration of emerging technologies to improve the security posture of biomedical HCPS will be of particular interest. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and showcasing cutting-edge research, this special issue aims to provide valuable insights and practical solutions for ensuring the integrity, confidentiality and availability of biomedical data and systems in an increasingly interconnected and digitally driven healthcare landscape.

Possible research topics include but are not limited to:

• Biometric Authentication Methods: Investigating the efficacy of biometric modalities such as fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition for secure access to biomedical HCPS.
• Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: Exploring the application of blockchain for secure and immutable storage of biomedical data, ensuring patient privacy and data integrity.
• Machine Learning for Cybersecurity: Developing machine learning algorithms for the protection and detection of abnormal behaviour and threats in biomedical HCPS networks.
• Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing: Studying techniques for secure and privacy-preserving sharing of sensitive medical data among healthcare providers and researchers.
• Secure Communication Protocols: Designing and evaluating communication protocols that ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted between biomedical devices and systems.
• Cyber-Physical Attacks and Countermeasures: Analyzing potential cyber-physical attack vectors on biomedical HCPS and proposing effective countermeasures to mitigate these threats.
• Human Factors in Cybersecurity: Investigating the role of human factors in cybersecurity breaches within biomedical HCPS and developing strategies to enhance user awareness and behavior.
• Regulatory Compliance Frameworks: Examining regulatory frameworks such as HIPAA, GDPR, and medical device regulations to ensure compliance and mitigate security risks in biomedical HCPS.
• Secure Software Development Practices: Assessing secure coding practices and methodologies tailored to the unique challenges of developing software for biomedical devices and systems.
• Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning: Exploring techniques for training machine learning models on sensitive biomedical data while preserving patient privacy through methods such as federated learning or differential privacy.
• Risk Assessment and Management: Developing risk assessment models and management strategies specific to the security and privacy risks inherent in biomedical HCPS.
• Biomedical Device Security: Investigating vulnerabilities in biomedical devices and proposing solutions to secure these devices from cyber threats and unauthorized access.
• Ethical Considerations in Biomedical HCPS Security: Examining ethical implications and considerations surrounding the implementation of security measures in biomedical HCPS, including issues of consent and autonomy.
• Interoperability and Security: Addressing the challenges of ensuring interoperability between different components of biomedical HCPS while maintaining robust security measures.
• Security Education and Training Programs: Evaluating the effectiveness of security education and training initiatives for healthcare professionals, device manufacturers, and end-users in biomedical HCPS environments.

All manuscripts will receive expedited handling and the accepted version will appear online within one week. Please note that every accepted paper is subjected to a processing fee as per Elsevier's open access journal policies.

The submission deadline for this Special Issue is 15 December 2024.

Guest Editors:

• George Drosatos
  Institute for Language and Speech Processing, Athena Research Center, Greece
• Konstantinos Rantos
  Department of Computer Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

This Special Issue is provided by the journal "Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal" and more details are available here.