Fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks have already marked their presence globally, revolutionizing entertainment, business, healthcare, and other domains. While this leap forward brings numerous advantages in speed and connectivity, it also poses new challenges for security protocols. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have been employed to augment traditional security measures, promising to mitigate risks and vulnerabilities. This paper conducts an exhaustive study to assess ML and DL algorithms’ role and effectiveness within the 5G security landscape. Also, it offers a profound dissection of the 5G network’s security paradigm, particularly emphasizing the transformative role of ML and DL as enabling security tools. This study starts by examining the unique architecture of 5G and its inherent vulnerabilities, contrasting them with emerging threat vectors. Next, we conduct a detailed analysis of the network’s underlying segments, such as network slicing, Massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), and edge computing, revealing their associated security challenges. By scrutinizing current security protocols and international regulatory impositions, this paper delineates the existing 5G security landscape. Finally, we outline the capabilities of ML and DL in redefining 5G security. We detail their application in enhancing anomaly detection, fortifying predictive security measures, and strengthening intrusion prevention strategies. This research sheds light on the present-day 5G security challenges and offers a visionary perspective, highlighting the intersection of advanced computational methods and future 5G security.

This study presents the Hybrid COASaDE Optimizer, a novel combination of the Crayfish Optimization Algorithm (COA) and Self-adaptive Differential Evolution (SaDE), designed to address complex optimization challenges and solve engineering design problems. The hybrid approach leverages COA’s efficient exploration mechanisms, inspired by crayfish behaviour, with the symmetry of SaDE’s adaptive exploitation capabilities, characterized by its dynamic parameter adjustment. The balance between these two phases represents a symmetrical relationship wherein both components contribute equally and complementary to the algorithm’s overall performance. This symmetry in design enables the Hybrid COASaDE to maintain consistent and robust performance across a diverse range of optimization problems. Experimental evaluations were conducted using CEC2022 and CEC2017 benchmark functions, demonstrating COASaDE’s superior performance compared to state-of-the-art optimization algorithms. The results and statistical analyses confirm the robustness and efficiency of the Hybrid COASaDE in finding optimal solutions. Furthermore, the applicability of the Hybrid COASaDE was validated through several engineering design problems, where COASaDE outperformed other optimizers in achieving the optimal solution.

This study presents an innovative hybrid evolutionary algorithm that combines the Arctic Puffin Optimization (APO) algorithm with the JADE dynamic differential evolution framework. The APO algorithm, inspired by the foraging patterns of Arctic puffins, demonstrates certain challenges, including a tendency to converge prematurely at local minima, a slow rate of convergence, and an insufficient equilibrium between the exploration and exploitation processes. To mitigate these drawbacks, the proposed hybrid approach incorporates the dynamic features of JADE, which enhances the exploration–exploitation trade-off through adaptive parameter control and the use of an external archive. By synergizing the effective search mechanisms modeled after the foraging behavior of Arctic puffins with JADE’s advanced dynamic strategies, this integration significantly improves global search efficiency and accelerates the convergence process. The effectiveness of APO-JADE is demonstrated through benchmark tests against well-known IEEE CEC 2022 unimodal and multimodal functions, showing superior performance over 32 compared optimization algorithms. Additionally, APO-JADE is applied to complex engineering design problems, including the optimization of engineering structures and mechanisms, revealing its practical utility in navigating challenging, multi-dimensional search spaces typically encountered in real-world engineering problems. The results confirm that APO-JADE outperformed all of the compared optimizers, effectively addressing the challenges of unknown and complex search areas in engineering design optimization.

Emerging technologies in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced optimization methodologies have opened up a new frontier in the field of software engineering. Among these methodologies, optimization algorithms such as the multi-verse optimizer (MVO) provide a compelling and structured technique for identifying software vulnerabilities, thereby enhancing software robustness and reliability. This research investigates the feasibility and efficacy of applying an augmented version of this technique, known as the test path distance multiverse optimization (TPDMVO) algorithm, for comprehensive path coverage testing, which is an indispensable aspect of software validation. The algorithm’s versatility and robustness are examined through its application to a wide range of case studies with varying degrees of complexity. These case studies include rudimentary functions like maximum and middle value extraction, as well as more sophisticated data structures such as binary search trees and AVL trees. A notable innovation in this research is the introduction of a customized fitness function, carefully designed to guide TPDMVO towards traversing all possible execution paths in a program, thereby ensuring comprehensive coverage. To further enhance the comprehensiveness of the test, a metric called ‘test path distance’ (TPD) is utilized. This metric is designed to guide TPDMVO towards paths that have not been explored before. The findings confirm the superior performance of the TPDMVO algorithm, which achieves complete path coverage in all test scenarios. This demonstrates its robustness and adaptability in handling different program complexities.