Rise of the Small Botnet

wiredmikey writes: Botnets controlled by criminal enterprises all over the world continue to multiply at a steep rate, and it is now arguably the smaller, harder-to-trace operations that organizations should be the most worried about. Not only are smaller botnets cheaper and easier to build out and operate, but criminals have already realized that large-scale botnet activity attracts unwanted attention, and not just of law enforcement.

Botnet management is an increasingly commoditized, automated and sophisticated activity that can put worryingly powerful technological weapons into the hands of criminals with little technical knowledge, and at a price point that won't hurt their wallet. Botnets smaller than those of the scale of Mariposa hide under the radar of major law enforcement efforts, and are becoming numerous enough to cause real concern.