Cyber attackers and criminals use Botnet networks for a variety of purposes, but the most common one is to use your computers for processing power. The most common use of a botnet network is for email spamming, using them for denial of service attacks, data mining, crypto mining, data theft, spreading virus, malware, trojan, adware, etc. Before you get your PC infected by botnet virus, let us get to know what Botnet really is and how to prevent your PC from it.
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What is a Botnet Attack?
A Botnet is basically a big network of computers which are connected and compromised in such a way that the total control over those computers is in the hand of a hacker or an attacker. Each individual computer which is affected by this Botnet is known as a bot, which is a part of the big Botnet network. So, now the question arises when does a PC become a Bot? When does a PC become a part of big Botnet network?
Its simple, your PC will become a part of Botnet army if it gets infected by some malware which was originally created by some hacker in order to recruit computers to join his/her Botnet army. This malicious malware is a tiny program which circulates through your entire PC and allows the attacker to use and control your PC remotely without the concern of PC owner. The people who control these botnet networks go by the name of Bot herders or usually Bot masters.
Uses Of Botnet
As we said above that botnets are used by criminals and hackers. Now the question arises in your mind is how? How can you possibly make use of hundreds or thousands of PC via a remote control? Hackers use their Botnet networks for a number malicious activities. The most common of them are Web browser hacking, carry out attacks, stealing information, sending spam, overloading servers, click fraud, mine cryptocurrencies etc.
How Botnets can impact you
Botnets can impact you in several ways. Your PC might start opening random websites; it will become slow and unresponsive, etc. Cybercriminals and hijackers use botnets networks to create a zombie network. This zombie network might have thousands or even millions of computers interconnected via botnet malware.
This zombie network is capable of large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, some large-scale spam campaign, or other types of cyber attacks. In some cases, the remote control of these botnets is in the hands of other criminals. These botnets are then combined together to build even a larger network. These Botnets are being sold as a rental or outright sale in black markets in deep web or dark web. Spammers take full advantage of these Botnet networks as it becomes very easy for them to spam advertisement or pull up a large-scale spam campaign.
Botnet Detection and Prevention
Detecting a Botnet is a hard task. Botnet malware is designed to be silent and operates without coming in the eyes of the user. However, there are few symptoms which you look for in order to find whether your PC is a part of Botner or not.
- Large amount of IRC traffic ( botmasters and botnets use IRC for communications)
- High Traffic for outgoing SMTP traffic.
- Unexpected popups here and there while you’re working or browsing the web.
- Slow computing power with a high CPU usage.
- Increase in traffic, especially Port 6667 ( common port for IRC traffic), Port 25 (generally for email spamming), and Port 1080 (as fake proxy servers)
- Outbound messages that weren’t sent by the user
- Several unexpected issues with Internet access
Methods to prevent Botnets
So you know what the symptoms of Botnet computers are. Now we are going to discuss some ways so that you can prevent your PC from Botnet networks.
- Network baselining: You should keep a keep eyes on your incoming and outgoing network. Any kind of irregular network is the sign of Botnet activities.
- Software patches: Always update your PC software, especially the anti-virus programs as soon as they release any security update.
- Vigilance: PC users should be trained to keep their machine protected from any unwanted risks such as bot networks, DDoS attacks, spamming etc.
- Anti-Botnet tools: Install a goof Anti-Botnet tool which can keep track of your PC and will figure out if your PC is part of a Botnet.
Botnet Removal
So, Guys, We have already discussed about How to detect if you are infected from a Botnet network. So its time to remove that Botnet malware from your PC. The best way of doing is to install some Botnet remover tool or using a security software with a built-in botnet removal functionality. Keep your PC safe!