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The spread of computer viruses over a reduced scale-free network

journal contribution
posted on 2014-02-15, 00:00 authored by Luxing YangLuxing Yang, X Yang
Due to the high dimensionality of an epidemic model of computer viruses over a general scale-free network, it is difficult to make a close study of its dynamics. In particular, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prove the global stability of its viral equilibrium, if any. To overcome this difficulty, we suggest to simplify a general scale-free network by partitioning all of its nodes into two classes: higher-degree nodes and lower-degree nodes, and then equating the degrees of all higher-degree nodes and all lower-degree nodes, respectively, yielding a reduced scale-free network. We then propose an epidemic model of computer viruses over a reduced scale-free network. A theoretical analysis reveals that the proposed model is bound to have a globally stable viral equilibrium, implying that any attempt to eradicate network viruses would prove unavailing. As a result, the next best thing we can do is to restrain virus prevalence. Based on an analysis of the impact of different model parameters on virus prevalence, some practicable measures are recommended to contain virus spreading. The work in this paper adequately justifies the idea of reduced scale-free networks.

History

Journal

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications

Volume

396

Pagination

173-184

Location

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

ISSN

0378-4371

eISSN

1873-2119

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2013, Elsevier B.V.

Publisher

Elsevier