Analysis of computer virus propagation behaviors over complex networks: a case study of Oregon routing network

© 2020, Springer Nature B.V. This paper mainly aims to explore the propagation behaviors of computer virus over complex networks under the combined effects of network topology and removable storage media. To this end, a dynamical model is established and analyzed theoretically, including the outbreak threshold, equilibria and their global dynamics. It is found from the systematic analysis that the virus will die out or persist in the network depending on the outbreak threshold, which is associated with the network topology and removable storage media. Moreover, a set of well-designed experiments are performed over the Oregon routing network to verify the proposed model and its theoretical analysis results. Experimental results show that the predicted results of the model are in good agreement with the simulation results over the above network, and the removable storage media have a great effect on viral spread. To this regard, some preventive measures against virus infection are recommended.