What is a Botnet?
Botnets are a collection of devices that have been infected by malware and are under the control of a remote attacker. They are used in a wide range of attacks on computers, smartphones and even network routers.
The first stage of a botnet attack is for cyber criminals to break into the target machines. They can do this through hacking, phishing or other forms of social engineering. Once the machines are compromised, they are infected with a specific malware that connects them back to a central botnet server.
Once connected, the bots are controlled by a bot herder who uses their computer resources to execute coordinated illegal actions on behalf of the attacker. These include data theft, server failure, spam email generation and malicious traffic for DDoS attacks.
Modern botnets are controlled using a peer-to-peer (P2P) network that allows them to communicate with each other. This allows for a more decentralized approach to controlling the network and is less susceptible to detection and disruption.
Some of the most well-known botnets are ZueS and Mirai, both of which have infected millions of devices since they were discovered. Both have been involved in a variety of DDoS attacks and have also stolen personal account credentials from their victims to sell on the Dark Web.