Les Botmasters et leurs rôles dans le marché des botnets
Botnets still represent one of the biggest threats in cyberspace. These corrupted computer networks are used to facilitate the propagation of cybercrime and to reach simultaneously an important number of victims. Previous studies have covered subjects such as the bot infection mechanisms, botnets’ behaviour and also the consequences of their usage. While botnets are well documented, there is a gap in literature regarding botmasters, the hackers responsible for creating and controlling these networks. To understand better those individuals, a content analysis of the underground forum Dark0de helped identify a pool of 88 botmasters that were categorised according to their roles in the botnet market. This preliminary study aims to measure the status, reputation, activity and expertise of botmasters according to their groups: coding, business, distribution, operation, monetization, interest and experience. Preliminary results indicate that distributors and operators have a better reputation in their community, while traders and experienced botmasters have higher statuses in the forum. Operators and traders are the most active botmasters in this forum. Also, most of the botmasters in this study have been found in another forum or none. Finally, except for half of the coders and a third of experienced botmasters, most of these individuals possess many expertise in different fields than botnets.
Botnets Botmasters Forum Reputation Status Activity Publications Competence Expertise