Editorial Preface

Information security and privacy continues to be a major concern around the world. As the world becomes more dependent on technology in order to carry out its various activities, it is also increasingly getting exposed to the dangers that continue to trouble these technologies. From credit card fraud to impersonation to cyber bullying to phishing the list of information security and privacy challenges is ever expanding. In a span of more than two decades the Web has changed the behavior of people around the globe. From making travel reservations online to buying merchandise of choice to sharing photographs and videos online, the Web has permeated all spheres of life and continues to impact the daily activities of millions of citizens around the globe. Although members of the global community continue to use these emerging technologies every day, the awareness about the threats lurking behind these technologies is still in its infancy. Since Web based technologies are still immature, our knowledge about the flaws and shortcomings of these technologies is limited. At the same time, the awareness about threats and how to deal with them among the users is rather scant due to a variety of reasons that range from user callousness to lack of concerted efforts by regulatory agencies to lack of awareness building initiatives, among others. From corporations to governments, an urgent need of the day is to understand the evolving nature of the information security and privacy challenges for the emerging technologies and to initiate appropriate actions to handle them.