Network immunization and virus propagation in email networks: experimental evaluation and analysis

  • Authors:

  • Chao Gao;Jiming Liu;Ning Zhong

  • Affiliations:

  • Beijing University of Technology, International WIC Institute, 100124, Beijing, China and Beijing Key Laboratory of Multimedia and Intelligent Software, 100124, Beijing, China;Beijing University of Technology, International WIC Institute, 100124, Beijing, China and Hong Kong Baptist University, Department of Computer Science, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong;Beijing University of Technology, International WIC Institute, 100124, Beijing, China and Maebashi Institute of Technology, Department of Life Science and Informatics, Maebashi, Japan

  • Venue:
  • Knowledge and Information Systems - Special Issue: Best Papers of the Fifth International Conference on Advanced Data Mining and Applications (ADMA 2009)
  • Year:
  • 2011

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Abstract

Network immunization strategies have emerged as possible solutions to the challenges of virus propagation. In this paper, an existing interactive model is introduced and then improved in order to better characterize the way a virus spreads in email networks with different topologies. The model is used to demonstrate the effects of a number of key factors, notably nodes’ degree and betweenness. Experiments are then performed to examine how the structure of a network and human dynamics affects virus propagation. The experimental results have revealed that a virus spreads in two distinct phases and shown that the most efficient immunization strategy is the node-betweenness strategy. Moreover, those results have also explained why old virus can survive in networks nowadays from the aspects of human dynamics.