Botnet
Botnet
A network of hijacked computers controlled remotely to carry out malicious commands.
In Simple Terms
A botnet is a large group of computers and other devices that have been hijacked by outsiders through a virus infection. At the attacker's command, all the hijacked devices act together to flood a specific website with traffic or send out massive amounts of spam email. The owners have no idea their device has been hijacked, and it ends up being used for something malicious without them knowing.
Behind the Name
The name "botnet" combines "bot" — short for robot, referring to a program that runs automated tasks on its own — with "network," meaning a connected group. It refers to a large group of computers that have been hijacked and are secretly controlled by outside criminals, and it's also sometimes called a zombie network.
Take a Closer Look!
A botnet is a network of computers that have been taken over by malicious programs and now do whatever the attacker tells them to.
They're being secretly controlled behind the scenes, without their owners even knowing.
The attacker uses a remote-control server to send commands to all the computers in the botnet at once.
Basically, think of the attacker as the boss, with the hijacked computers acting like followers carrying out orders.
These followers are used to flood a specific website with traffic all at once to knock it offline, or to send out huge volumes of spam email.
Internet-connected home appliances and security cameras can also become targets for botnets.
Compared to computers, these devices tend to have weaker security, which makes them easier for attackers to take over.
To avoid having your own devices turned into cyberattack tools without realizing it, it's important to take precautions like changing default passwords.