Initially called ‘zombies’, bots are one of the most powerful tools hackers have going for them.  The idea is simple: they compromise a computer, set up a backdoor for easy access for later times, then just rinse and repeat.  What’s the point?  Well, the more computers a hacker has control of, the faster they can break ciphers, passwords and the like, let alone spread malware much faster.  So what can you do to protect yourself from becoming a bot?  Well, just by properly implementing the fundamentals, you greatly reduce your chances of being compromised: firewall, antivirus protection (with updated signatures), updated patches and various other antimalware protection (again, with updated signatures).

A bot attack is one of the most sophisticated types of cyber crime and is often the hardest to detect. The scariest part is that you may never even know that someone has hijacked your computer.

A bot attack is where a hacker takes control of your computer and uses it to spread viruses, spam and even commit online fraud.  Infected computers are usually controlled by one person, who is referred to as a bot herder.

“People have heard of viruses and Trojan horses, well essentially that’s what a botnet is, just on a reduced basis,” said Agent Dan Nielsen with the FBI’s Cyber Crime Unit.  “What they are designed to do is go out and infect thousands of computers at a time.”

The problem is so big that the FBI launched ‘Operation Bot Roast’ last year.[more]

Tags: Hackers