A compartmental model to explore the interplay between virus epidemics and honeynet potency

Honeynet technology is an active approach that is used to capture novel viruses and provide feedback on a matching immunization strategy. A compartmental model is formulated and analyzed to explore the interplay between virus epidemics and potency of a heterogeneous honeynet. Theoretical analysis of the model shows the conditions under which the minimum amount and best location in configuring a honeynet are determined. Furthermore, the honeypot with more system vulnerabilities is beneficial for mitigating the virus epidemic to a lower level, whereas the honeynet with a lower power law index is better for acquiring the virus samples. A number of numerical examples are presented to illustrate the theoretical analysis. On the basis of the results, some ideas for imposing restrictions on the spread of virus or improving the design of a honeynet are suggested.