Using Twitter as a Botnet Command Channel

Just when you thought you knew everything there is to know about Twitter, here comes another surprise..!!

Brazilian ID thieves are using Twitter streams to send commands to their botnets. The bots are programmed to monitor RSS feeds from these Twitter accounts.

Sounds pretty innovative, right?

The Economics of Botnets & 0-Day Market

Ever wondered what all can a botnet actually do? How much damage can it cause? Or how much does it cost to rent a botnet or even better - how much can you earn from a botnet..??

All this and more answered by Yury Namestnikov in his blog.

Another very good paper to read, is by the famous Dr. Charlie Millar
The Legitimate Vulnerability Market: Inside the Secretive World of 0-day Exploit Sales

Update 03-Apr-2012:
Some current figures around how much a 0-day can be worth.

Update 01-Jun-2012:
Mr. Schneier finally speaks on this topic

Update 13-May-2013:
Very interesting, the US government is a big buyer of 0-day exploits!!