Botnet

Definition of Botnet
A botnet is referred to a series of computers connected in a synchronized fashion for evil purposes. Every computer in the botnet is known as a bot. These bots make a network of compromised computers controlled by a third party to transmit spam or malware or launch attacks.

Overview of Botnet
All computers in the interconnected network of the botnet are infected with the malware without the knowledge of users. Cybercriminals control these computers. They are used to transmit viruses, send spam emails and engage in various other cybercrime acts. Botnet computers are sometimes known as zombie army, and these are the biggest online threats.

The Botnet word is derived from the words network and robot. Cybercriminals utilize particular Trojan viruses to breach the security of several computer users. They want to take control of every computer and organize all infected machines in a bot network, and criminals remotely manage these computers.

Impacts of Botnet
Cybercriminals try to control and infect thousand, even millions of computers. They try to act as the master of this bot network or “zombie network” that can deliver a DDoS attack “Distributed Denial of Service”, spam campaign and other types of attacks. In numerous cases, the cybercriminals establish a vast network of computer/zombie machines and sell the access of zombie network to various other criminals. Spammers can take this network on rent or become a part of a spam campaign. A botnet can be legal because a computer can be a part of legal networking for distributed computing and research studies.

Tips to Prevent Botnet
If you want to protect your computer against Trojans and various other threats, you should install reliable anti-malware software on your computer. Keep this software up-to-date and stay away from malicious websites.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/botnet