Botnets and Crypto Currency - Effects of Botnets on the Bitcoin Ecosystem

Abstract

Nearly every aspect of a hacked computer and a users online life can be and has been commoditized. Recent trends into crypto currencies have made the former even more true as cyber criminals are now committing crime for monetary benefit and not just to out smart each other. In this study, I look more closely at Bitcoin, a de-centralized crypto currency which has become increasingly popular in the last six months. This study focuses on the analysis of the bitcoin economy, the involvement of malware and botnets and its effect to the currency.