Improving Robustness of High-Low-Order Coupled Networks against Malicious Attacks Based on a Simulated Annealing...

Area of Science:

• Network Science
• Complex Systems
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Coupled networks exhibit reduced robustness against malicious attacks compared to individual networks.
• Existing research on network robustness primarily focuses on single, low-order, or higher-order networks.
• There is a gap in understanding and improving the robustness of coupled systems integrating both low-order and higher-order network structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel method for enhancing the robustness of coupled networks with mixed low-order and higher-order structures.
• To optimize network resilience against malicious attacks by considering joint objectives for both network types.
• To improve the structural integrity and functional stability of complex interconnected systems.

Main Methods:

• A simulated annealing algorithm is employed to rewire network edges.
• The optimization process targets the simultaneous improvement of robustness in both low-order and higher-order network components.
• Edge rewiring is performed while preserving the original degree distribution of the networks.

Main Results:

• The proposed method effectively enhances the robustness of coupled networks without altering their degree distribution.
• Experiments on Erdős-Rényi (ER), Barabási-Albert (BA), and small-world (SW) networks demonstrate significant improvements in resilience.
• Validation on real-world networks confirms the method's efficacy in strengthening coupled network structures.

Conclusions:

• The developed edge-rewiring strategy successfully improves the robustness of coupled networks comprising both low-order and higher-order elements.
• This approach offers a minimal-intervention solution for bolstering network defense mechanisms in complex systems.
• The findings provide a valuable contribution to the field of network science and cybersecurity, particularly for interconnected infrastructure.