The Myth of the Robust-Yet-Fragile Nature of Scale-Free Networks: An Empirical Analysis

Abstract

In addition to their defining skewed degree distribution, the class of scale-free networks are generally described as robust-yet-fragile. This description suggests that, compared to random graphs of the same size, scale-free networks are more robust against random failures but more vulnerable to targeted attacks. Here, we report on experiments on a comprehensive collection of networks across different domains that assess the empirical prevalence of scale-free networks fitting this description. We find that robust-yet-fragile networks are a distinct minority, even among those networks that come closest to being classified as scale-free.