Evaluating email’s feasibility for botnet command and control

摘要: The usefulness of email has been tempered by its role in the widespread distribution spam and malicious content. Security solutions have focused on filtering out payloads weblinks from email; potential dangers go past these boundaries: harmless-looking emails can carry dangerous, hidden botnet In this paper, we evaluate suitability communication for command control. What makes email-based botnets interesting is lack clear detection mitigation strategies that defenders could use to disrupt botnet. We first demonstrate commands remain due enormous volume. If providers deploy specialized spam-based botnets, botmasters alternatively communicate with bots via non-spam cannot be safely discarded. show viability such means simulations a prototype, discuss limited prospects botnets.