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What is a Botnet?

A botnet is a collaboration of several programs working together across several computers to perform certain tasks.

The affected computer is often compromised by a Trojan, which then connects to an IRC channel and awaits commands from the user in control of the program on the infected computer.

The most common use of a botnet is to send massive amounts of spam, and DDOS (Denial of Service) attacks, but a botnet is just a tool, what it does depends entirely on whoever is in control of the botnet.

The uses of a botnet

A botnet works in the following way:

  • A computer is infected with a malicious program
  • The program connects to the IRC channel set up by the attacker to receive commands
  • The program downloads additional malware on the computer
  • The malicious programs are ordered by the botnet owner to complete one or more tasks

These tasks range from a variety of actions, but these are the most common:

  • DDOS
  • Spam
  • Key logging
  • Spread malware
  • Identity theft
  • Flood IRC networks with spam
  • Host illegal software or content
  • Abuse PPC networks

How to Protect Yourself from Botnets

Botnets are internet security issues and can infect your computer from a variety of sources and can be avoided with common internet sense.

  • Always have a firewall activated
  • Run and update your antivirus and antispyware regularly
  • Be careful when opening e-mail attachments

To stay protected from botnets it helps to have good anti-spyware installed on your computer, read about SpywareCease and see how it can protect you from internet threats.

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