{"id":14737,"date":"2023-11-21T10:02:05","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T10:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/tech\/?p=14737"},"modified":"2023-11-21T10:02:08","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T10:02:08","slug":"what-is-a-botnet-the-complete-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businessyield.com\/tech\/cyber-security\/what-is-a-botnet-the-complete-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is A Botnet? The Complete Guide","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

A botnet is a logical collection of\u00a0Internet-connected devices, such as computers, smartphones, or\u00a0Internet of Things\u00a0(IoT) devices whose\u00a0security\u00a0has been breached and control ceded to a third party. Each compromised device, known as a “bot,” is created when a device is penetrated by software from a\u00a0malware\u00a0(malicious software) distribution. <\/p>

The controller of a botnet can direct the activities of these compromised computers through communication channels formed by standards-based\u00a0network protocols, such as\u00a0IRC\u00a0and\u00a0Hypertext Transfer Protocol\u00a0(HTTP).<\/p>

The word “botnet” is a portmanteau of the words “robot” and “network”. The term is usually used with a negative or malicious connotation. Botnets are increasingly\u00a0rented out\u00a0by\u00a0cyber criminals\u00a0as commodities for a variety of purposes,\u00a0including as\u00a0booter\/stresser\u00a0services.<\/p>

Understanding the botnet concept<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>

The term botnet is derived from the words robot and network. A bot, in this case, is a device infected by malicious code, which then becomes part of a network, or net, of infected machines all controlled by a single attacker or attack group.<\/p>

A bot is sometimes called a zombie, and a botnet is sometimes referred to as a zombie army. Conversely, those controlling the botnet are sometimes referred to as bot herders.<\/p>

The botnet malware typically looks for devices with vulnerable endpoints across the internet, rather than targeting specific individuals, companies or industries. The objective is to infect as many connected devices as possible and to use the large-scale computing power and functionality of those devices for automated tasks. These attacks generally remain hidden from the users of the devices.<\/p>

For example, an ad fraud botnet infects a user’s PC with malicious software that uses the system’s web browsers to divert fraudulent traffic to certain online advertisements. However, to stay concealed, the botnet won’t take complete control of the operating system (OS) or the web browser, which would alert the user. Instead, it may use a small portion of the browser’s processes, often running in the background, to send a barely noticeable amount of traffic from the infected device to the targeted ads.<\/p>

On its own, that fraction of bandwidth taken from an individual device won’t offer much to the cybercriminals running the ad fraud campaign. However, a botnet that combines millions of botnet devices will be able to generate a massive amount of fake traffic for ad fraud.<\/p>

How a botnet works<\/strong><\/h2>

Botnets are built to grow, automate, and speed up a hacker\u2019s ability to carry out larger attacks. A small team of hackers, or even one person, can only carry out so many actions on their local devices. By investing a little cost and a bit of time, they can acquire tons of additional machines to leverage for more efficient operations.<\/p>

A\u00a0bot herder<\/strong>\u00a0leads a collective of hijacked devices with remote commands. After compiling the bots, a herder uses command programming to drive their next actions. The party taking command duties may have set up the botnet or be operating it as a rental.<\/p>

Zombie computers<\/strong>, or bots, refer to each malware-infected user device that\u2019s been taken over for use in the botnet. These devices operate mindlessly under commands designed by the bot herder.<\/p>

The basic stages of building a botnet can be simplified into a few steps:<\/span><\/h5>
  1. Prep and Expose<\/strong> \u2014 hacker exploits a vulnerability to expose users to malware.<\/li>\n\n
  2. Infect<\/strong> \u2014 user devices are infected with malware that can take control of their device.<\/li>\n\n
  3. Activate<\/strong> \u2014 hackers mobilize infected devices to carry out attacks.<\/li><\/ol>

    Stage 1 exposure starts with hackers finding a vulnerability<\/strong> in a website, application, or human behavior. The goal is to set the user up for being unknowingly exposed to a malware infection. You\u2019ll commonly see hackers exploit security issues in software or websites or deliver the malware through emails and other online messages.<\/p>

    In stage 2, the user gets infected<\/strong>\u00a0with the botnet malware<\/strong>\u00a0upon taking an action that compromises their device. Many of these methods either involve users being persuaded via social engineering to download a special\u00a0Trojan virus. Other attackers may be more aggressive by using a\u00a0drive-by download\u00a0upon visiting an infected site. Regardless of the delivery method, cybercriminals ultimately breach the security of several users\u2019 computers.<\/p>

    Once the hacker is ready, stage 3 initiates by taking control of each computer.<\/strong> The attacker organizes all of the infected machines into a network of \u201cbots\u201d that they can remotely manage. Often, the cybercriminal will seek to infect and control thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of computers. The cybercriminal can then act as the boss of a large \u201czombie network\u201d \u2014 i.e. a fully assembled and active botnet.<\/p>

    Once infected, a zombie computer allows access to admin-level operations, such as:<\/p>