quotDYNAMICS OF MALWARE SPREAD IN DECENTRALIZED PEER TO PEER NETWORKSquot

Abstract

quotIn this paper, we formulate an analytical model to characterize the spread of malware in decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and study the dynamics associated with the spread of malware. Using a compartmental model, we derive the system parameters or network conditions under which the P2P network may reach a malware free equilibrium. The model also evaluates the effect of control strategies like node quarantine on stifling the spread of malware. The model is then extended to consider the impact of P2P networks on the malware spread in networks. newlineThe use of peer-to-peer (P2P) networks as a vehicle to spread malware offers some important advantages over worms that spread by scanning for vulnerable hosts. This is primarily due to the methodology employed by the peers to search for content. For instance, in decentralized P2P architectures such as Gnutella where search is done by flooding the network, a peer forwards the query to it s immediate neighbors and the process is repeated until a specified threshold time-to-live, TTL, is reached. First, the worms can spread much faster, since they do not have to probe for susceptible hosts and second, the rate of failed connections is less. Thus, rapid proliferation of malware can pose a serious security threat to the functioning of P2P networks.quot newline newline