The combined impact of external computers and network topology on the spread of computer viruses

Abstract

This paper aims to study the combined impact of external computers and network topology on the spread of computer viruses over the Internet. By assuming that the network underlying a recently proposed model capturing virus spreading behaviour under the influence of external computers follows a power-law degree distribution, a new virus epidemic model is proposed. A comprehensive study of the model shows the global stability of the virus-free equilibrium or the global attractivity of the viral equilibrium, depending on the basic reproduction number R₀. Next, the impacts of different model parameters on R₀ are analysed. In particular, it is found that (a) higher network heterogeneity benefits virus spreading, (b) higher-degree nodes are more susceptible to infections than lower-degree nodes, and (c) a lower rate at which external computers enter the Internet could restrain virus spreading. On this basis, some practical measures of inhibiting virus diffusion are suggested.

Keywords:

• computer virus
• propagation model
• scale-free network
• equilibrium
• global stability
• global attractivity

2010 AMS Subject Classification:

• 37C75

ACM Computing Classification System Code:

• K.6.5

The authors are indebted to the anonymous reviewers and the editor for their valuable suggestions that have greatly improved the quality of this paper. This work is supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (#10771227) and Doctorate Foundation of Educational Ministry of China (#20110191110022).