A botnet is a network of infected computers that are controlled by a malicious actor. The purpose of a botnet is typical to carry out some types of automated tasks, such as spamming emails or generating fake traffic on websites.
Botnets can be very large, with some estimates suggesting that there are millions of computers in a single botnet. The difficulty in taking down a botnet is that the computers in the network are often spread across the globe, making it hard to track down and disable malicious software.
What Is A Botnet?
A botnet is a network of computers that have been infected with malware and are under the control of a remote attacker. The attacker can use the computers in the botnet to carry out a variety of malicious activities, such as DDoS attacks, spamming, and stealing personal information.
Botnets can be very large, with some estimates suggesting that there are millions of computers in a single botnet. The computers in a botnet are often referred to as “bots” or “zombies.” Botnets are difficult to take down because they are distributed across many different computers and networks.
Additionally, the attackers who control botnets often use sophisticated methods to hide their identity and avoid detection.
What Are Botnets Used For?
Botnets are networks of computers that have been infected with malware and are under the control of a cybercriminal.
Botnets can be used for a variety of purposes, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, click fraud, and spamming. In a DDoS attack, the spam botnet is used to flood a target website with traffic, resulting in the site being inaccessible to legitimate users.
Click fraud involves using the botnet to click on ads, generating revenue for the cybercriminal. And finally, botnets can be used to send out large quantities of spam emails. While botnets can be used for legitimate purposes, such as managing server infrastructure, the vast majority are used for malicious activity.
DDoS Attacks
A DDoS attack is a type of cyber attack that seeks to disable a computer or network by flooding it with traffic from multiple sources.
DDoS attacks are often launched by botnets, which are networks of infected devices that can be controlled remotely by attackers.
The computers and devices in a botnet are known as “zombies” because they are controlled without the knowledge of their owners.
When a botnet launches a DDoS attack, the traffic can come from hundreds or even thousands of devices, making it difficult for the target to defend against.
Viewbotting
Viewbotting is the practice of artificially inflating the number of views on a streaming platform such as Twitch. This is often done by using bots, which are automated programs that can simulate viewers. While view botting is relatively easy to do, it can have a significant impact on the success of a streamer.