Microbes and the Games They Play

Kastampolidou, Kalliopi; Andronikos, Theodore

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78787-5_32

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Its application to realistic scenarios is what makes this concept even more captivating [29]. Characteristics typically found in games have been discerned in the case of biological processes in multicellular organisms like cells and macromolecules (see [30] for an accessible overview). Many biological systems seem to follow certain strategies, as the observation of their moves implies.…”

Section: Game Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of VirLock and Bacteriophage ϕ6 through the Lens of Game Theory

Kostadimas,

Kastampolidou,

Andronikos

2023

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The novelty of this paper lies in its perspective, which underscores the fruitful correlation between biological and computer viruses. In the realm of computer science, the study of theoretical concepts often intersects with practical applications. Computer viruses have many common traits with their biological counterparts. Studying their correlation may enhance our perspective and, ultimately, augment our ability to successfully protect our computer systems and data against viruses. Game theory may be an appropriate tool for establishing the link between biological and computer viruses. In this work, we establish correlations between a well-known computer virus, VirLock, with an equally well-studied biological virus, the bacteriophage ϕ6. VirLock is a formidable ransomware that encrypts user files and demands a ransom for data restoration. Drawing a parallel with the biological virus bacteriophage ϕ6, we uncover conceptual links like shared attributes and behaviors, as well as useful insights. Following this line of thought, we suggest efficient strategies based on a game theory perspective, which have the potential to address the infections caused by VirLock, and other viruses with analogous behavior. Moreover, we propose mathematical formulations that integrate real-world variables, providing a means to gauge virus severity and design robust defensive strategies and analytics. This interdisciplinary inquiry, fusing game theory, biology, and computer science, advances our understanding of virus behavior, paving the way for the development of effective countermeasures while presenting an alternative viewpoint. Throughout this theoretical exploration, we contribute to the ongoing discourse on computer virus behavior and stimulate new avenues for addressing digital threats. In particular, the formulas and framework developed in this work can facilitate better risk analysis and assessment, and become useful tools in penetration testing analysis, helping companies and organizations enhance their security.

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Section: Game Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of VirLock and Bacteriophage ϕ6 through the Lens of Game Theory

Kostadimas,

Kastampolidou,

Andronikos

2023

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“…How could commitment to cooperation, and consequently, the payoff matrix change? 11 What is the relative abundance of the possibilities? How do specific ecological contexts “force” populations to adopt one strategy over the other?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical evidence of resource dependent evolution of payoff matrices inSaccharomyces cerevisiaepopulations

Venkataraman,

Mahilkar,

Raj

et al. 2024

Preprint

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In evolutionary game theory, a relative comparison of the cost and benefit associated with obtaining a resource, called payoff, is used as an indicator of fitness of an organism. Such payoff matrices are used to understand complex inter-species and intra-species interactions like cooperation, mutualism, and altruism. In the absence of any empirical data, the evolution of these payoff matrices has been investigated theoretically by tweaking well-established game theory models. In this paper, we present empirical evidence of three types of resource-dependent changes in the payoff matrices of evolving Saccharomyces cerevisiae populations. We show that depending on the carbon source and participating genotypes, the payoff matrix could either (a) evolve quantitatively yet maintain a cheater-cooperator game, (b) change qualitatively such that the cheater-cooperator game collapses, or (c) change qualitatively to result in the birth of a cheater-cooperator game. Our results highlight the need to consider the dynamic nature of payoff matrices while making even short-term predictions about population interactions and dynamics.

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“…Striving to outperform traditional methods when dealing with problems and games, motivated researchers to also turn to the biological domain. Many classical games, including the Prisoners' Dilemma, have also been examined under the prism of biological notions [32,33,34,35]. Unsurprisingly, computation can be conducted in the context of biological and bio-inspired processes [36,37], even including computer viruses [38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A symmetric extensible protocol for quantum secret sharing

Ampatzis¹,

Andronikos²

2022

Preprint

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This paper introduces the Symmetric Extensible Quantum Secret Sharing protocol, which is a novel quantum protocol for secret sharing. At its heart, it is an entanglement based protocol that relies on the use of maximally entangled GHZ tuples, evenly distributed among the players, endowing the spymaster with the ability to securely share a secret message with her agents. It offers uncompromising security, making virtually impossible for a malicious eavesdropper or a rogue double agent to disrupt its successful execution. It is characterized by symmetry, since all agents are treated indiscriminately, utilizing identical quantum circuits. Furthermore, it can be seamlessly extended to an arbitrary number of agents. After the completion of the quantum part of the protocol, the spymaster will have to publicly transmit some information, in order to enable the agents to discover the secret message. Finally, it has the additional advantage that the spymaster has the privilege to decide when it is the right time for the agents to discover the secret message.

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Microbes and the Games They Play

Cited by 7 publications

References 35 publications

A Comparative Analysis of VirLock and Bacteriophage ϕ6 through the Lens of Game Theory

A Comparative Analysis of VirLock and Bacteriophage ϕ6 through the Lens of Game Theory

Empirical evidence of resource dependent evolution of payoff matrices inSaccharomyces cerevisiaepopulations

A symmetric extensible protocol for quantum secret sharing

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