BotNet News

Despite cyberattacks making headlines on a regular basis, it can be difficult for average people to understand the threat. Cybercriminals wreak havoc on a wide variety of digital services, including the Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Considering that IoT device adoption is rising exponentially, it’s important for everyone to learn about how they can protect themselves. This article covers one of the major threats to cybersecurity: Botnet.

A botnet is a massive network of devices, like computers and IoT, that have been infected with malware. These infected devices are then controlled by a cybercriminal, known as a bot-herder, who is capable of sending commands to the entire network at once. These commands are used to perform a wide variety of malicious activities, from click fraud to DDoS attacks.

Bots are not all bad, they are automated computer programs that can help speed up searches, provide customer service, and direct traffic to where it’s needed. However, the majority of bots are infected with malware and controlled by hackers to commit cyberattacks. These cybercriminals can then rent out their networks to other criminals who use them to carry out large-scale attacks.

Attackers can create botnets by infecting a device with malware, often through phishing emails or compromised websites. The malware will then be able to connect back to its creator through an established communication protocol, such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), to receive instructions. In more advanced cases, attackers can also take advantage of the decentralized approach of P2P filesharing to control bots without the need for centralized C&C servers.