The Impact of Hierarchy on Bluetooth-Based Malware Spread in Mobile Tactical Networks

Abstract

Cyber-attacks in military networks are increasingly being recognized as a threat to mission assurance and tactical capability. Some recent cyber attacks have exploited short-range radio communication such as Bluetooth to propagate malware among mobile devices, thereby circumventing traditional cyber network defenses and evading detection. Because of its reliance on close physical proximity between devices in order to spread, the propagation of such malware is strongly dependent on the spatial and temporal properties of device movement. Mobility of military units in particular follows a welldefined organizational hierarchy and tactical doctrine. While this hierarchy of command has been studied extensively in order to maximize effectiveness and safety in the physical layer, its impact on security in the cyber layer is poorly understood and too often neglected. In this paper we develop an agent-based simulation model to study the impact of hierarchy on a mobile tactical network suffering a propagating cyber attack. We compare the dynamics of malware spread under a military-inspired mobility model to that of other more commonly-used mobility models.