Cloud computing has emerged as a new technological domain in the IT industry. Currently, several organizations working in various domains, such as healthcare, finance, manufacturing, smart grid, Internet of Things (IoT), and IT, are increasingly integrating cloud computing with their traditional applications. The key idea behind the usage of cloud computing in IoT is to increase efficiency without compromising the data quality. When it comes to collecting data of thousands or millions of servers, the cloud offers scalability and reduces the computational load on each sensor. The highly configured servers in the cloud are very useful in processing and analyzing the sensors’ data. The security of such a shared infrastructure is very crucial. It is the major barrier in the adoption of cloud-based services, followed by issues regarding compliance, privacy, and legal matters. The digitalization of critical infrastructures, such as smart grids (SGs), brings advantages and opportunities for remote access and control. It enables intelligent and online monitoring of these systems, which considerably enhances cyberattacks’ vulnerability. Cyberattacks are among the most important threats to SGs. Therefore, efficient control systems should be designed that can detect and isolate cyberattacks to keep the SG reliable and secure operation. This special section aims at providing a forum to discuss the most recent advances on security and privacy in cloud-assisted IoT and SG applications.

中文翻译：

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客座社论：云辅助物联网 (IoT) 和智能电网的安全和隐私


云计算已成为IT行业的一个新兴技术领域。目前，医疗保健、金融、制造、智能电网、物联网 (IoT) 和 IT 等各个领域的多个组织越来越多地将云计算与其传统应用相结合。在物联网中使用云计算背后的关键思想是在不影响数据质量的情况下提高效率。当收集数千或数百万台服务器的数据时，云提供了可扩展性并减少了每个传感器的计算负载。云中高度配置的服务器对于处理和分析传感器数据非常有用。这种共享基础设施的安全性非常重要。这是采用基于云的服务的主要障碍，其次是合规性、隐私和法律事务方面的问题。智能电网 (SG) 等关键基础设施的数字化为远程访问和控制带来了优势和机遇。它可以对这些系统进行智能在线监控，从而大大提高网络攻击的脆弱性。网络攻击是SG 面临的最重要的威胁之一。因此，应设计有效的控制系统来检测和隔离网络攻击，以保持 SG 可靠和安全的运行。此特别部分旨在提供一个论坛来讨论云辅助物联网和 SG 应用程序中安全和隐私的最新进展。