A distributed architecture for an adaptive computer virus immune system

Computer viruses are widely recognised as a significant computer threat. The "birth rate" of new viruses is high and increasing due to global connectivity, and technology improvements can accelerate their spread. In response to this threat, some contemporary research efforts are aimed at creating computer virus immune systems (CVIS). A CVIS uses the human immune system as a model for identifying, attacking, and eradicating viruses from computers and networks. This paper analyses the requirements of such a computer virus immune system and evaluates current approaches with respect to these requirements. Based on this analysis, we propose a distributed architecture for implementing a CVIS. In particular, we discuss how emerging technologies such as evolutionary algorithms (EA) and intelligent agents (IA) can be employed to give the CVIS a self-adaption capability for new viral threats.