A novel dynamic model for web malware spreading over scale-free networks

The complex properties of real-world systems have been found in a wide range of physical and social networks. In this paper, a novel network-based model is developed to theoretically address the structure impact of scale-free networks on epidemic web malware spreading. We further split the compartments of the SDIRS model in terms of node degree, and apply the degree-based mean-field approach to formulate the model. The spreading threshold of the new model is explicitly calculated, and the global stability of the malware-free equilibrium is theoretically addressed provided the threshold below unity. Numerical simulations are given to illustrate the theoretical results. Moreover, the dynamics around the malware equilibrium and parameter analysis are also discussed by designing some numerical examples. The predictions are generally in agreement with numerical simulation results. Consequently, we suggest that web malware can be availably contained by properly adjusting the network structure so that the propagation threshold is less than unity.