Abstract
Cyber–physical systems (CPSs) are new types of intelligent systems that integrate computing, control, and communication technologies, and bridge cyberspace and physical world. CPSs are widely used in many security-critical areas, but they are vulnerable to virus infections and malicious code attacks, which can cause damage to their functions and security incidents. To study the influence of malware on CPSs, this paper proposes a Susceptible–Exposed–Infected1–Infected2–Removed (SEI2RS) model with different infection rates to study malware propagation in CPSs. First, we establish the nonlinear dynamic equation of malware propagation, and calculate the equilibria and basic reproduction number of the model. In addition, the local asymptotic stability and global asymptotic stability at the equilibria are proved by using Lyapunov theorem and Routh–Hurwitz criterion, and the transcritical bifurcation phenomenon is analyzed. Finally, we also carry out some simulations to simulate malware spreading in CPSs. The simulation results illustrate the existence of the equilibria, the stability and the transcritical bifurcation, which verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
•A novel malware propagation model with two infectious rates is proposed in cyber–physical systems.•The nonlinear dynamics behavior of the proposed model is analyzed, which reveals the mechanism of malware spreading.•Some numerical simulation experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the theoretical analysis.