Explorative Assessment of Internet Hacking: An Agent-Based
Modeling Approach

Zaiyong Tang, Salem State College, USA, ztang@salemstate.edu
Kallol Bagchi, University of Texas at El Paso, USA, kbagchi@utep.edu
Anurag Jain, Salem State College, USA, ajain@salamstate.edu

ABSTRACT

Internet hacking is fast becoming a significant threat not only to businesses, but
government entities, online communities, and individual Internet users as well. We
have built an agent-based model (ABM) to study the dynamics of Internet hacking.
Several factors that impact the adoption of Internet hacking are evaluated. Through
ABM simulations we explore the interactions of various types of Internet users along
with their hacking propensity and the resulting hacking trends. The simulations point
to several interesting outcomes. For instance, the hacking trend is greatly affected by
the quantum of law enforcement and by the influence of hackers on normal users. On
the other hand, the number of initial hackers and the degree of interaction do not
appear to be significant factors. In addition, the results of the simulation illustrate the
impact of the mass media and of “hacking websites” on Internet hacking trends.