Business Model of a Botnet
This provides economic insights into cybercrime for security professionals, but is incremental as it builds on existing knowledge of botnet operations.
The research analyzed the business model and revenue streams of botnet owners, finding that building a botnet from scratch is very expensive, while acquiring one is low-cost, with initial setup and monthly costs minimal compared to total revenue.
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.