Worm Epidemics in Wireless Adhoc Networks

TL;DR

This paper models and analyzes the spread of wireless worms in ad hoc networks, revealing unique epidemic behaviors influenced by spatial and temporal correlations, distinct from Internet-based epidemics.

Contribution

It introduces a new epidemic spreading model tailored for wireless ad hoc networks and investigates their unique spreading dynamics through extensive simulations.

Findings

Worm spread thresholds are affected by spatial correlations.

Epidemic dynamics differ significantly from Internet-based models.

Network correlations influence propagation speed and reach.

Abstract

A dramatic increase in the number of computing devices with wireless communication capability has resulted in the emergence of a new class of computer worms which specifically target such devices. The most striking feature of these worms is that they do not require Internet connectivity for their propagation but can spread directly from device to device using a short-range radio communication technology, such as WiFi or Bluetooth. In this paper, we develop a new model for epidemic spreading of these worms and investigate their spreading in wireless ad hoc networks via extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our studies show that the threshold behaviour and dynamics of worm epidemics in these networks are greatly affected by a combination of spatial and temporal correlations which characterize these networks, and are significantly different from the previously studied epidemics in the Internet.