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Botnets as a Vehicle for Online Crime

White Paper
In this paper, the authors describe the capabilities present in bot malware and the motivations for operating botnets.
Publisher

Software Engineering Institute

Abstract

An analysis of real-world botnets indicates the increasing sophistication of bot malware and its thoughtful engineering as an effective tool for profit-motivated online crime. Our analysis of source code and captured binaries has provided insight about:

  • how botnets are built
  • what capabilities botnets possess
  • how botnets are operated
  • how botnets are maintained and defended

The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the capabilities present in bot malware and the motivations for operating botnets.