The Impact of Sensor Area on Worm Propagation Using SEIR and SEIR-V Models: A Preliminary Investigation

Cyber security is of topical concern in the computing industry and in organizations that require ICT infrastructure for business-related activities. Theft or disrupting the flow of data and information can cause devastating damage to an institution’s reputation and this may lead to huge financial losses. More mayhem can be perpetrated by malicious codes such as worms to organizations that use wireless sensor networks for collecting and transmitting data and information. To tackle this issue of cyber security, researchers have used epidemiological models (such as SEIR and SEIR-V) to gain insight into malicious code propagation. However, topological concerns and its impact in worm propagation haven’t been thoroughly studied. Here, we modify older models by applying a different expression for sensor deployment area; we intend to highlight the spatial parameters that may allow for the extinction of worms in wireless sensor networks amidst countermeasures deployed by network managers.