Stability analysis and optimal control of worm propagation model with saturated incidence rate

Abstract

Worms spreading through Web-based scanning and removable devices pose a serious threat to Internet security. This paper is devoted to solving the problems of computer worms. A nonlinear mathematical model of the problem is established, and the characteristics and mechanisms of worm propagation are analyzed by means of the stability theory of differential equations, optimal control and computer simulation. The results provide some new insights to computer security, which is to predict the tendency of worm propagation through the stability of endemic equilibrium, identify the epidemic control strategies by the stability of disease-free equilibrium, and evaluate the prevalence of worms based on the final scale of infected devices. The performance of our model is evaluated by numerical simulation, and the results indicate that our combined strategy can combat the worm propagation. The results may be helpful to inhibit the worm spread widely in the network.