Botnets used to be the exclusive domain of high-powered hackers looking to rake in cash from spam operations or to conduct highly effective DDoS attacks. But now Symantec has found that botnets are increasingly becoming available to less sophisticated hacker wannabes and are being sold for as little as $250.
After trolling around on some of the darker corners of the Internet, Symantec researchers stumbled upon a seller marketing a “Zeus Fully Setup Botnet + Bulletproof Hosting” for $250 that includes source code, binaries, user guides and a control panel. Symantec also found other purported botnets on sale for as much as $1,000, although the firm believes that at least some of these advertised botnets are scams.
Even so, the company says the rise of for-sale botnets is significant because “previously, it was necessary to be a member of an exclusive community to purchase these files, but it appears that it is now getting easier.”
