TY - JOUR AB - Purpose– To present a new technique that contains the spread of rapid malcode, which is based on peer‐to‐peer (P2P) communication and the principles of computer hygiene.Design/methodology/approach– Two proof‐of‐concept prototypes demonstrate the feasibility of the introduced technique. The effectiveness of the proposed model is supported by experimental findings through simulation tests. Additional software tools have been developed to ensure the correctness of the simulation.Findings– Provides supportive information regarding the efficiency of computer hygiene practices. Moreover, theoretical and empirical results show that P2P networks could play an important role in the containment of worm epidemics.Research limitations/implications– A stable system deployed in large‐scale is yet to be implement in order to produce decisive results regarding the benefits of the proposed algorithm.Practical implications– This paper argues that P2P networks can have significant impact on the containment of the rapid malcode.Originality/value– This paper is an extended and revised version of the “PROMISing steps towards computer hygiene” paper which appeared in the INC2006 conference. VL - 15 IS - 4 SN - 0968-5227 DO - 10.1108/09685220710817815 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/09685220710817815 AU - Vlachos Vasileios AU - Spinellis Diomidis PY - 2007 Y1 - 2007/01/01 TI - A PRoactive malware identification system based on the computer hygiene principles T2 - Information Management & Computer Security PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 295 EP - 312 Y2 - 2024/05/06 ER -