A novel computer virus propagation model and its dynamics

Abstract

By taking into account the fact that, in general, a computer immediately possesses infectivity as soon as it is infected, a novel computer virus propagation model, known as the SLBS model, is established. It is proved that the dynamic behaviour of the model is determined by a threshold R 0. Specifically, the virus-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if R 0≤1, whereas the virulent equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable if 1<R 0≤4. It is conjectured that the virulent equilibrium is also globally asymptotically stable if R 0>4. These results suggest some effective strategies for eradicating computer viruses distributed in the Internet.