Protect Against the Risk of Botnet Attacks
A Botnet is a network of computers, mobile devices and IoT hardware infected with malware that grants remote control to a cyber-criminal known as a “bot herder.” The bots act in unison under the direction of the herder to execute automated, large-scale attacks. Botnets are an important element of the threat landscape because they give attackers the ability to scale their attacks without being detected.
Cybercriminals target vulnerabilities in software and devices to infect devices with bot-enabling malware. These vulnerabilities are typically exploited through phishing emails or drive-by download strategies, where the device is exposed to malicious code without the user’s knowledge. Bots then communicate with a Command & Control (C&C) server to receive instructions. These C&C servers are often hosted on cloud platforms or the internet, making them difficult to detect and block.
The first step in the botnet lifecycle is recruiting bots, or compromised devices, to the network. The recruitment phase usually involves exploiting vulnerabilities in software and devices, leveraging social engineering techniques, or using automated scanning tools to identify and infect targeted devices. The bots are then commanded by the bot herder via the C&C infrastructure.
The bots then carry out the commanded activities of the cyber-criminal, such as stealing online credentials through form grabbing or launching DDoS attacks against websites and services. The infected devices continue to function normally, with the owner unaware that their devices are part of a botnet. To protect against the risk of a botnet, organizations should deploy a defense-in-depth approach with secure, trusted supervisor software and strong ingress and egress filtering practices.