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.
