Exploring the provision of online booter services

Abstract

This research uses differential association, techniques of neutralisation and rational choice theory to study those who operate ‘booter services’: websites that illegally offer denial-of-service attacks for a fee. Booter services provide ‘easy money’ for the young males that run them. The operators claim they provide legitimate services for network testing, despite acknowledging that their services are used to attack other targets. Booter services are advertised through the online communities where the skills are learnt and definitions favourable towards offending are shared. Some financial services proactively frustrate the provision of booter services, by closing the accounts used for receiving payments.