PACMNET V4, CoNEXT1, March 2026 Editorial

The Proceedings of the ACM on Networking (PACMNET) series showcases top-tier research in emerging computer networks and their applications. We welcome submissions introducing new technologies, innovative experiments, creative applications of networking technologies, and fresh insights gained through analysis. Supported by the ACM Special Interest Group on Communications and Computer Networks (SIGCOMM), the journal is backed by a distinguished Editorial Board composed of leading researchers in the field. This issue is the first of the fourth volume of PACMNET. It features articles submitted by the June 2025 deadline that underwent a ''one-shot major'' revision. Originally, each of the June 2025 submissions underwent a thorough review process involving more than 90 Editors, coordinated by two Associate Editors. In the initial phase, every article received a minimum of three reviews. For those that advanced to the second phase, Editors produced at least two additional reviews per article. After a second discussion phase, the Editors met online to decide which articles to accept after a minor revision, which to offer a one-shot major revision opportunity, and which to reject. Fifteen articles have been offered a one-shot major revision option. These have been revised by their authors based on the extensive feedback provided by the Editors, who checked the revised version after modifications. After this re-review phase, nine articles were finally accepted and they appear in this issue of PACMNET. The papers in this issue span a broad yet coherent set of themes in modern networking research. Several contributions focus on network efficiency and performance, addressing energy consumption in high-speed host networking, multipath proxy design, video streaming responsiveness, and joint IP–optical core network planning and recovery. Security and privacy form another major axis, with work on scalable phishing detection, defences against website fingerprinting, and cryptographic acceleration on FPGA platforms. Emerging network architectures and infrastructures are also prominent, including decentralised routing for large-scale LEO satellite constellations. Finally, the issue includes advances in network measurement and modelling, notably through state-aware synthetic traffic generation, reflecting the growing importance of realistic data-driven evaluation in networking systems. As usual, we want to express our sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to this issue of PACMNET, especially the Authors for submitting their finest work and the Associate Editors for offering valuable feedback in their reviews and engaging in the discussions. Our thanks also go to the SIGCOMM Executive Committee Chair and the CoNEXT Steering Committee members for their continued support and guidance, providing essential suggestions and insights throughout the article selection process.