Computer Virus Propagation in a Network Organization: The Interplaybetween Social and Technological Networks

摘要

This paper proposes a holistic view of a network organization'scomputing environment to examine computer virus propagation patterns. Weempirically examine a large-scale organizational network consisting ofboth social network and technological network. By applying informationretrieval techniques, we map nodes in the social network to nodes in thetechnological network to construct the composite network of theorganization. We apply social network analysis to study the topologiesof social and technological networks in this organization. Westatistically test the impact of the interplay between social andtechnological network on computer virus propagation using asusceptible-infective-recovered epidemic process. We find that computerviruses propagate faster but reach lower level of infection throughtechnological network than through social network, and viruses propagatethe fastest and reach the highest level of infection through thecomposite network. Overlooking the interplay of social network andtechnological network underestimates the virus propagation speed and thescale of infection.