Robustness of Networks with Skewed Degree Distributions under Strategic Node Protection

Previous studies on the robustness of networks against intentional attacks have suggested that protecting a small fraction of important nodes in a network significantly improves its robustness. In this paper, we analyze the robustness of networks under several strategic node protection schemes. Strategic node protection schemes select a small fraction of nodes as important nodes, using a network measure such as node centrality, and protect the important nodes to prevent them from being removed by intentional attacks. Our simulation results indicate that (1) strategic node protection significantly improves the robustness of networks with skewed degree distributions, (2) the efficiency of strategic node protection schemes is affected by the strength of community structure of the network being protected, and (3) strategic node protection based on betweenness centrality can effectively improve the robustness of networks regardless of the strength of community structure.