Kaspersky Analysis: Black Market in Botnets
Virus analyst Yury Namestnikov investigated the structure, functionality and business model of botnets for antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab with some surprising results.
Since the time decades ago when networks consisted of a few dozen centrally controlled computers, botnets have steadily increased in number. Kasperky's Namestnikov speaks of the current widely distributed systems of millions of hijackable systems with decentralized control. The reason behind these zombie networks, as he calls them, is the money to be made, and that with little technical know-how.
Getting on board the cybercrime business no longer requires you to be a programmer. Cybercrime forums are now easily available on the Web to help in creating zombie networks and infecting them with netbots. "Bots for sale" signs are everywhere. And to make it even more egregious, obfuscation and encryption can also be applied to the bot code to keep it from being detected.
A netbot generator next has to work for its distribution, per spam, forum and social network postings or drive-by downloads. Bots often include self-replication functions that act as viruses or worms.
The tricks cybercriminals employ are often quite simple. One is drive-by downloads. Before downloading an interesting video, a user might first need to install a special program. When the user visits a prepared website, the drive-by download exploits a security hole in the browser to download malware, without the user suspecting a thing.
Income for cybercriminals can come from distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, theft of confidential information, spams, phishing, search engine spamming, click fraud and distribution of adware and malicious programs. As Namestnikov notes in his analysis, "if chosen, any of these sources can provide a cybercriminal with a good income. But why choose? A botnet can perform all of these activities- at the same time!"
Gallery (3 images) |
---|
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.