Massive botnets are waiting to infect your computer, so do these 3 things to stay safe
Key things
- Botnets are networks of infected devices used in cybercriminal activities.
- Cybercriminals use botnets for DDoS attacks, spamming, and more.
- Prevent your computer from getting infected by installing an antivirus, monitoring for suspicious activity, and performing a factory reset if necessary.
It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie: your computer is infected with a virus and “taken” to a larger army of infected devices. However, botnets are a very real tool that cybercriminals use every day to carry out their activities.
So what is a botnet and how can you tell if your computer is part of one?
What is a botnet?
A botnet is a collection of devices “recruited” by cybercriminals who infect each one with malware. This malware runs silently in the background, leaving the owners of these devices unaware that their device is part of a larger network used to attack others.
The strength of a botnet correlates with the number of infected devices and added to the network. The more devices in a botnet, the more power the owner has to carry out attacks.
How hackers “recruit” devices into a botnet
Devices are infected with a specific type of malware and added to the network. Each device is usually infected with the same malware, usually in infected email attachments or files downloaded from unknown sources.
Once on your computer, malware keeps a low profile to avoid detection. The action only happens when the person running the botnet commands it.
How hackers use a botnet
Once a bad actor has created a huge botnet, they can use it to perform tasks that would normally require many computers. A more well-known task is a Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which uses each botnet member to overwhelm a single server with requests and force it offline.
Cybercriminals can also use botnets to send large amounts of spam. If they set up every computer in the botnet to start spewing emails, the numbers alone can cause a flood of mail to hit people’s emails. The content of the email can vary depending on what the cybercriminal wants to achieve; they may send fraudulent or phishing emails or send infected attachments to get even more devices into the botnet.
Different kinds of botnets
When a cybercriminal wants to send commands to his botnet, he can choose between a centralized and a decentralized model.
In a centralized model, the botnet owner has command servers that every computer connects to. When a cybercriminal wants his botnet to perform a specific task, he sends a request through a command and control server. The zombie device receives the message through this server and executes the command. Cybercriminals can use applications like IRC or Discord to send commands to their bots and constantly check their feeds for new entries. In fact, the DISGOMOJI malware uses emoticons sent in the Discord channel to execute commands.
In a decentralized model, each member of the botnet is connected. A cybercriminal sends a command that goes from one device to another. It’s more difficult for cybercriminals to create a decentralized botnet, but it means they don’t have to rely on a server to send commands, making it harder for law enforcement to dismantle the network.
How to find out if your computer is part of a botnet
If you’re worried about botnets, the good news is that you can prevent or recover your computer from a cybercriminal’s botnet.
1. Install a good antivirus
The best way to prevent your computer from becoming part of a botnet is to install a good antivirus program. These should identify botnet malware before it can infect your computer and prevent it from becoming a “zombie” in a cybercriminal’s plans.
2. Watch for suspicious activity
If it doesn’t, it can be difficult to identify that your computer is part of a botnet. After all, cybercriminals want their activities under surveillance, so you shouldn’t notice any problems right away. However, if you notice that your computer’s resources are being sent into overdrive without you doing or opening anything, it may be because it is busy processing commands from a malicious application. Likewise, if your internet is slower than usual, it could be because your computer is sending requests as part of a botnet.
If your computer experiences the above problems, try disconnecting it from the Internet. If that fixes the problem, there’s a good chance it’s receiving commands from an external source. Download an antivirus app and scan your computer to catch any nasty malware lurking on your device.
3. Restoring the computer to factory settings
If you push, you can reset your computer to factory settings and remove malware from your computer. It’s a bit overkill, but it’s the best way to remove malware that your antivirus didn’t detect. When you start over with a clean slate, you can be sure that there are no malicious apps running in the background.
While botnets sound scary, there are ways to prevent your device from being recruited into one. Even if you suspect your device is part of one, it’s still not too late to break the cybercriminal’s grip.