Winfried Gleissner
Computers & Security, 8, 1989, pp.35-41
ISSN 0167-4048
February 1989
Download PDF (400.13Kb) (You need to be registered on forum)A model is introduced to treat the spread of computer viruses mathematically. A recurrence formula is given which allows a closed expression to be derived for the probability that, starting from an initial state, a given viral state will be reached after executing exactly k programs. In some special cases this recurrence formula can be used for numeric computations, It is shown that the infection process does not stop before all programs are infected, which are visible for any infected program in the initial state.