A CA model for mobile malware spreading based on bluetooth connections

Abstract

There is an unstoppable rise of the number of smartphones worldwide and, as several applications requires an Internet access, these mobile devices are exposed to the malicious effects of malware. Of particular interest is the malware which is propagated using bluetooth connections since it infects devices in its proximity as does biological virus. The main goal of this work is to introduce a new mathematical model to study the spread of a bluetooth mobile malware. Specifically, it is a compartmental model where the mobile devices are classified into four types: susceptibles, carriers, exposed and infectious; its dynamic is governed by means of a couple of two-dimensional cellular automata. Some computer simulations are shown and analyzed in order to determine how a proximity mobile malware might spread under different conditions.