Business Model of a Botnet

TL;DR

This paper analyzes the economic structure and revenue streams of botnets, revealing that acquiring existing botnets is cost-effective and that initial setup costs are minimal compared to total revenue.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the business model and costs associated with botnets, which was lacking in prior research.

Findings

Building a full-scale botnet from scratch is very expensive.

Acquiring a pre-existing botnet requires minimal cost.

Initial setup and monthly costs are small compared to revenue.

Abstract

Botnets continue to be an active threat against firms or companies and individuals worldwide. Previous research regarding botnets has unveiled information on how the system and their stakeholders operate, but an insight on the economic structure that supports these stakeholders is lacking. The objective of this research is to analyse the business model and determine the revenue stream of a botnet owner. We also study the botnet life-cycle and determine the costs associated with it on the basis of four case studies. We conclude that building a full scale cyber army from scratch is very expensive where as acquiring a previously developed botnet requires a little cost. We find that initial setup and monthly costs were minimal compared to total revenue.