14 DAY TRIAL // Have you ever wondered how much cybercriminals have to pay for a botnet if they don’t want to go through the hassle of spreading malware themselves? If you have, you’re in luck, because Webroot’s Dancho Danchev has identified a website which provides such services.
The most expensive malware-infected hosts are the ones from the US. 1,000 zombies cost $120 (€93), and 5,000 hosts cost $550 (€423). Those who want even more can purchase 10,000 US-based infected computers for $1,000 (€770).
Less pretentious cybercrooks can purchase zombies from Germany, Canada and the UK. In this category, 10,000 bots cost only $600 (461 EUR).
Those who don’t care where the compromised devices are located can buy 10,000 for only $200 (€159).
In addition to botnet zombies, the website also offers Socks5 servers, compromised computers that can be utilized as anonymization proxies.