Spreading patterns of mobile phone viruses using cellular automata

Abstract

Major technology progress and evolution of human living standards have led to wide development of mobile telecommunications. Nowadays, classic mobile phones tend to be replaced by more complex devices that show similar abilities to personal computers (PCs), known as smartphones. Rapid spreading of smartphone technology, as well as significant resemblance to PCs, gave rise to the appearance of mobile phone viruses, and the first attacks have already been recorded. In this work, the study of methods for the spreading of mobile phone viruses using Cellular Automata (CAs) is presented. The dependence of spreading patterns on time and on the operating system (OS) market share is examined with the use of a mathematical model designed for the prediction of such future situations. Simulation results are compared to published results based on real communication patterns, proving that the proposed model effectively captures the dynamics of mobile virus spreading. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.