Cyber Resilience: Algorithmic Innovations, Dynamic Defense, and Cyber-Physical Systems

As engineering systems rapidly transition toward automated networks, ubiquitous Internet of Things (IoT), and highly interconnected Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), traditional perimeter defenses and reactive security mechanisms are reaching their limits. In today's highly distributed environments, it is mathematically and operationally impossible to foresee and mitigate every vulnerability beforehand. The fundamental problem is how to maintain continuous operation and safety when systems are actively compromised.The goal of this Research Topic is to address this critical gap by advancing the paradigm of "Cyber Resilience"—the capability of digital infrastructure to autonomously predict, withstand, recover from, and adapt to sophisticated cyberattacks. To achieve this, we need algorithmic innovations, novel architectural frameworks, and advanced mathematical modeling. A key knowledge gap lies in bridging theoretical resilience models with real-time autonomous recovery, particularly in complex CPS. By crowdsourcing state-of-the-art research, this Topic aims to lay the foundation for next-generation, self-healing engineering systems that move beyond mere survivability to proactive, adaptive robustness.The ubiquitous deployment of IoT and CPS across critical infrastructure—such as smart grids, healthcare, and finance—has exponentially expanded the cyber threat landscape. While conventional cybersecurity focuses on threat exclusion, cyber resilience assumes breaches are inevitable. Recent societal challenges, including targeted attacks on supply chains and essential services, underscore the urgent need for systems that degrade gracefully and recover autonomously.Furthermore, emerging technical challenges include the massive scale of sensor networks and the real-time constraints of CPS. This necessitates a shift towards innovative approaches, including bio-inspired computing and artificial immune systems, which offer promising avenues for dynamic, distributed defense mechanisms. This Research Topic seeks to answer how we can design robust hardware-software co-systems and leverage AI/ML to transition from reactive patching to intrinsic, algorithmic resilience in hyper-connected environments.We welcome high-quality Original Research, Reviews, and Method articles that advance autonomous and adaptive engineering systems. Submissions must demonstrate clear methodological novelty and rigorous validation (e.g., mathematical proofs, high-fidelity simulations, or empirical testbed evaluations).Specific themes include, but are not limited to:A. Theory, Frameworks, and Metrics• Quantitative metrics, measurement models, and mathematical modeling of resilience in CPS.• Fusion theories of risk management and resilience engineering.• Bio-inspired resilience frameworks (e.g., artificial immune systems for IoT networks).B. Technology and Architecture• Self-healing and Moving Target Defense (MTD) technologies.• AI/ML and metaheuristic algorithms for incident prediction and autonomous recovery.• Decentralized data resilience using blockchain.C. Organization, Governance, and Society• Supply chain cyber resilience (inter-organizational collaboration and trust models).• Resilience policies and standardization in critical infrastructure.• Human factors (e.g., organizational decision-making and training efficacy during cyber incidents). Topic editors: Shingo Yamaguchi, Nadia Nedjah, Brij B. Gupta Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84566/cyber-resilience-algorithmic-innovations-dynamic-defense-and-cyber-physical-systems