A botnet is a group of infected devices under someone else’s control. Hackers usually create these networks using zombie machines called bots that allow them to run software remotely.
Botnet attacks range from annoying spam to massive distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.
What Is a Botnet In Cyber Security?
Botnets are used for many different malicious activities. Here are some of the ways a botnet can be used:
1. To steal sensitive data from infected machines.
2. To attack websites and web servers.
Botnets are a common method of carrying out DDoS attacks. In this type of attack, the botnet is made up of thousands of zombie computers that are instructed to send a flood of requests to a website or server at the same time in order to overload it and crash it.
3. To send spam emails (using infected machines to send spam is called “carpet bombing”).
4. To conduct click fraud – using infected machines to click on ads for fraudulent purposes.
How to protect yourself from a botnet attack?
Install security patches as soon as they come out.
Keeping your operating system and software up to date is one of the best ways to protect yourself against botnet attacks.
Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software and make sure you keep it up to date too.
Use a firewall on your computer.
This can help you block malicious traffic before it even reaches your computer.
Use a VPN.
If you use a virtual private network (VPN), it can help prevent other people from stealing your data. Using a VPN will encrypt all the data on your device, so if someone else were to intercept the data they would only see gibberish instead of the information you are sending out.
Updated regularly
Keep your computer’s operating system, applications, and drivers updated regularly. The latest software helps protect against the latest threats, such as viruses and spyware.
Beware when downloading
Be careful about what you download and run on your computer. If you’re not sure about an attachment or file, delete it without opening it! Stay away from websites that advertise or ask for personal information. If you have a concern about a website you’re visiting, contact the site administrator directly by other means such as by telephone or postal mail to verify that it is safe before entering any information into that website.
If this site is a reputable organization, they will be glad to help verify their site’s identity with you. Do not click links or open attachments in email messages unless you know who sent them because they could contain malware that can infect your computer when opened or clicked on!
You should also be wary of attachments and links in Instant Messages (IM) sent to you by people you do not know well or at all. Do not open email attachments from people you do not know well or at all! Do not click on links in email messages from people you do not know well or at all!
If your computer is infected by malware, it’s best to remove the malware before doing anything else. You can use an antivirus program or a specialized removal tool. If you are not sure how to do this on your own, please contact the IT Department or your hardware support personnel.