Message from the special issue editors

This Special Issue of the Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society features extended versions of five papers selected from The fifth Latin American Dependable Computing (LADC’2011) symposium, which took place in Sao Jose dos Campos, SP, on April 25–29, 2011. LADC is the major Latin American event that provides a forum for researchers and practitioners from all over the world to present and discuss their latest research results and developments on the dependability and security of computer systems and networks. The symposium scope spans system, software and hardware dependability, as well as security research and technological challenges, encompassing fundamental theoretical approaches and practical experimental studies. LADC’2011 received a total of 46 submissions from 12 countries. The entire process was handled electronically. A total of 159 reviews were entered, each paper received at least three reviews. The review process included a rebuttal period during which the authors had the opportunity to clarify doubts and other issues raised in the reviews of their papers. After the rebuttal period, the TPC members started the discussion phase, which resulted in the selection of the 18 papers that are included in the technical program (16 Regular Papers, and 2 Practical Experience Re-