I heard about hackers assembling botnet armies in order to attack sites online. What is that?
When using the term “botnet” in reference to the malicious intent of cyber criminals, the term describes a set of computers over which the criminal is able to exert control. The controller of a botnet can send commands to all the computers under his control in order to launch some kind of attack from multiple fronts.
Why herd a botnet?
Creators of botnets use malicious software such as viruses, trojans, and worms to infect the host computers. Once a host computer is infected, the malicious software listens for commands from the botnet creator. Depending on what the creator intends to do with his botnet, it may be days, weeks, or months before any attack is carried out. If the software used to infect the host computer was not designed with any other malicious intentions, it will usually lay dormant during this period of downtime.
In some instances, nothing may ever take place — perhaps the botnet creator moves on to a different project, loses interest, or is apprehended by local authorities.
When Botnets Attack
There are a few different ways in which a botnet can be signaled to carry out its task. I’ve already mentioned the first — all of the computers under the control of the botnet creator may be listening for commands. These commands are often issued through secret Internet Relay Chat channels. Another situation involves an automated attack based on a countdown — the creator of the botnet programs all of the infected computers to carry out a certain task at a specific date and time. When that time approachs, all of the infected host computers wake up and go to work.
The intentions of a botnet depend entirely upon the creator. Some are used to rain down Distributed Denial of Service attacks on web sites and computer networks. DDoS attacks flood the target with loads upon loads of traffic in order to cause the victim to collapse under the stress of handling all the incoming requests. Other botnets might be programmed to distribute viruses, send out spam, or click on advertisements owned by the creator.
Lastly, a botnet might not do anything. It may just be an proof-of-concept experiment on the part of the creator, or perhaps an exercise of the ego… the thought of having control over hundreds or thousands of others’ computers is a rush to some people.
How to steer clear of botnets
Keep your security software up-to-date, and exercise common sense when you’re online.
Windows PC users who have anti-virus software should keep their virus definitions up-to-date. Popular AV packages such as Symantec regularly release updates that include instructions for your software on how to handle new threats. Read the instruction manual and educate yourself on how to check for updates — most of the time, all you need to do is enable automatic updates.
In addition to commercial anti-virus software, there are many free software packages that scan your PC for threats. Two of the most popular free packages that you will see recommended time and again are Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D. Download and install these programs, use them regularly, and keep them up-to-date.
In addition to using security software, nothing beats good old fashioned common sense. Be careful what you do online. Delete e-mails with unsolicited attachments, scrutinize advertisements before clicking, be suspicious of software, and don’t be quick to click on anything that appears on your screen. Common sense helps protect you against social engineering tricks, wherein malicious software tricks you into opening the front door.
