Organizers

IEEE Greece Section
National Aerospace University KhAI, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Hellenic Army Academy, Athens, Greece
Ionian University, Corfu, Greece
University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
Leeds Beckett University, UK
Lutsk National Technical University, Lutsk, Ukraine
IEEE Student Branch University of Thessaly – Lamia

Background & Key topics

The annual DESSERT conference began in 2006, and its primary focus has been on methodologies, techniques, and tools for dependability, security, and safety assessment, and assurance of software, hardware, computer systems, and IT infrastructures. A number of related DESSERT WSs addressed various issues in dependable critical computing. DESSERT’2026 is responding to current significant challenges relating to state-of-the-art information and communication technologies and paradigms, such as the Internet of Things, cloud and edge computing, AI and Big Data, and robotics systems, especially unmanned aerial, ground, and surface vehicles (UVs). Relevant areas of interest encompass regulations, analysis, modelling, development, verification, operation, and maintenance of computer systems, networks, and infrastructures for safety-, security-, mission- and business-critical applications.
DESSERT’2026 addresses the main theoretical, methodological, and technological challenges related to Dependable, Human‑Aligned and Cyber‑Physical AI Systems for a Safe, Secure and Sustainable World. Authors are invited to submit original manuscripts demonstrating recent advances in all areas relevant to these challenges, including, but not limited to:

Fundamentals and methodologies

• Methodology and technologies of dependable and resilient computing
• Methodologies and technologies of smart and pervasive computing
• Methodologies and technologies of sustainable and green computing and communications
• Infrastructure safety and security regulation, assessment and assurance
• Safety and Security co-design, verification and validation
• Safety, cybersecurity, and resilience of Industry 4.0 and 5.0
• AI/ML/LLM for design, safety, and security of intelligent systems
• Cryptography and information security
• Privacy and personal & information society data protection
• Big Data Analytics vs and for safety and security

Methods and technologies

• Dependable IoT for human and industry domains
• Trustworthy and explainable AI, AI as a Service, and resilient AI systems
• Methods and scenarios of AI-powered protection against AI-powered attacks
• Human-machine interaction and cooperation for safety and security
• Dependability, security, and resilience of web, cloud, and edge computing
• Big data and data mining techniques for business and critical domains
• Augmented, virtual, and mixed reality for secure industrial and human applications
• Blockchain technology for critical and business domains
• Formal methods and assurance case-based techniques of development and assessment
• Quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography
• Cryptography and steganography technologies
• Image processing and recognition for smart and dependable systems
• 5G/6G communications

Domains and applications

• Protecting critical infrastructures from cyberattacks
• Smart grid cybersecurity and resilience
• Reliability and safety of unmanned vehicles, UV swarms and fleets
• Intelligent UV swarms for monitoring critical objects and overcoming dangerous spaces
• Dependability of mission-critical, aviation and space systems
• Safety and cybersecurity of industrial robots and robotics systems as a Service
• Cybersecurity and privacy of health systems
• Biomedical engineering and informatics
• Ecology monitoring and decision-making support
• Dependable communication and high-reliable electronics
• UI cooperation, networking, education, and training for business and critical domains

The conference will include special events (workshops, tutorials, and industrial panels) and sessions dedicated to special topics.

Hot Topics for Discussion

• Dependable and Trustworthy Systems Foundation and Agentic Models.
• Trust, Governance and Regulation of AI‑Enabled Critical Systems and Infrastructures.
• Human–AI synergy, Explainability and Decision Support in Security and Safety‑Critical Domains.
• Secure, Safe and Resilient Cyber‑Physical Systems with Embedded AI.
• Privacy‑Preserving, Federated and Edge AI for IoT/IoE and Robotics.
• AI Driven Cyber Defense and Autonomous Threat Hunting.
• Using machine learning/LLMs/agents for real-time detection, hunting and response to attacks.
• Combining classic NIDS/SIEM with generative AI, behavioral analytics, etc.
• Adversarial Machine Learning and Secure AI Pipelines.
• Poisoning, evasion, inference, model stealing attacks and defenses.
• Secure/robust training pipelines, data provenance, model watermarking, red teaming of AI systems.
• Use of cryptographic/formal methods for integrity & confidentiality in AI lifecycle.
• Edge/IoT device protection with lightweight crypto, embedded AI, zero trust architectures.
• End to end security & observability with AI enhanced monitoring.