The robustness of complex networks remains a significant challenge in network science. This study proposes a method aimed at optimizing network robustness by introducing a protection mechanism for the first-order neighbor nodes of a failed node. The load adjustment parameter alpha and the protection strength parameter delta in the protection mechanism affect the threshold T-c have been determined through theoretical analysis. In addition, in the experiment of a scale-free network, it was proven that alpha and T-c exhibit a positive proportional relationship, while delta and T-c exhibit an inverse proportional relationship. Notably, the introduction of the protective mechanism consistently resulted in a lower T-c compared to scenarios without protection, validating its efficacy in preventing cascading failures. Finally, the robustness of empirical networks, which include the American Football network, Wikiquote Edits network, and Euroroads network, is compared before and after adding protection. The results demonstrate that the first-order neighbors of failed node are protected, which is an effective method for improving the robustness of complex networks. (c) 2024 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
