Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: As Internet of Things (IoT) technology grows, so does the threat of malware infections. A proposed countermeasure, the use of benevolent "white worms" to combat malicious "black worms", presents unique ethical and practical challenges. This study examines these issues via network epidemiology models and simulations, considering the propagation dynamics of both types of worms in various network topologies. Our findings highlight the critical role of the rate at which white worms activate themselves, relative to the user's system update rate, as well as the impact of the network structure on worm propagation. The results point to the potential of white worms as an effective countermeasure, while underscoring the ethical and practical complexities inherent in their deployment.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Inserm, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre Louis d‘Épidémiologie et de Santé Publique, Laboratoire de Probabilités, Statistique et Modélisation, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Teesside University, Bharathidasan University, University of Lisbon, Laboratório de Sistemas Informáticos de Grande Escala, Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Universidad de Zaragoza
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4383046795