What is a Botnet?
Today it’s an illegal collection of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of compromised computers all being controlled with a common infrastructure. There’s even one case where a real botnet was found with about 1.5 million machines under one person’s control. Incredible. According to Symantec’s latest Internet Threat Report, 26% of all bot-infected computers are also located in the United States – making it the number one source of bots. These are most often home computers with viruses or web servers with buggy software that are compromised and then linked together for evil purposes. They re usually controlled from a central location as well, providing a single point of failure, but as peer-to-peer botnets are developed the ability to fight this evil will certainly change. Spam botnets I started writing this column on a topic near and dear to everyone s heart: spam. Three years ago spam was a real nuisance to everyone, but it wasn t really a security is
A botnet (“robot network”) refers to multiple computers infected with remote-controlled software that allows a single hacker to run automated programs on the botnet behind the users’ backs. The remote-controlled software or rootkit is clandestinely installed in each computer, hiding its presence and tracks, making detection difficult. Meanwhile, the hacker can use the botnet for many purposes, including distributing spam, spreading Trojan horses, perpetuating phishing scams, or gathering information for identity theft or fraud. When a compromised computer falls prey to a rootkit, the computer is referred to as a “zombie computer.” A hacker can install rootkits on many computers, essentially building a network of compromised “zombie computers” to run secretive bots or services for the hacker. In the underground niche of botnet operators, there is much competition to have the largest or most powerful botnet. Not only are individual computers at risk, but so too are the networks of major
Okay, here’s the scoop… a botnet is a collection of ordinary home and office computers that have been compromised by rogue software. The term “botnet” is short for “robot network” and describes the situation rather well. Computers that have been caught up in a botnet have been effectively taken over, and can be used to perform almost any task by the person or persons who control the botnet. Botnets are controlled by criminals and other miscreants whose motives include selling products, operating financial scams and crippling websites through coordinated attacks. Should you be concerned about botnets? Yes, because botnets operate silently, and your computer may be affected without you ever suspecting it. Botnets are everywhere. It is estimated that over 30 million “zombie” computers are unknowingly caught up in these networks that distribute spam, steal personal information and participate in denial of service attacks. Botnets are carefully planned to spread via viral infections and o
