Testing the defences of bulletproof hosting companies

We never like to think that criminals are above the law, but there are always some that seem hard to bring to justice. Mob bosses who seem unassailable, or corporate crooks evading justice by storing assets offshore, all frustrate those who would take them down and lock them up. In the world of cyber-criminals, there is a similar agent: the bulletproof host. Bulletproof hosting companies are seemingly impervious to attack. They refuse takedown notices and reside in places where legal action is difficult. These companies, usually located offshore, host a variety of malicious online activities, from phishing, through to drive-by download malware and child porn. Danny Bradbury explores how they operate, where they come from and how various online campaigners have dealt with them. But, he says, we need new ways to deal with this problem.