Understanding Botnets: How Cybercriminals Use Networks of Infected Devices to Carry Out Attacks
Botnets have been used in a variety of attacks, and studying some examples of these attacks can provide valuable insights into the threat they pose.
One notable example is the Mirai botnet, which was used in a series of devastating Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in 2016. Mirai was able to take control of hundreds of thousands of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as security cameras and routers, that had weak or default passwords. The botnet then used these devices to flood targeted websites with traffic, effectively taking them offline.
Another example is the Zeus botnet, which was used to steal banking credentials and other sensitive information from infected computers. The botnet used a combination of phishing emails and drive-by downloads to infect computers, and once it had control of a computer, it would monitor the user's online activity and capture any sensitive information that was entered.
There have also been cases of botnets being used for political purposes, such as the GhostNet botnet, which was allegedly created by Chinese hackers and used to spy on the Tibetan government-in-exile and other political targets. In this case, the botnet was used to infect computers with spyware that could capture sensitive information and transmit it back to the hackers.
Finally, the Avalanche botnet was a massive global network that was used to distribute various types of malware, including ransomware, banking Trojans, and other malicious software. The botnet was taken down in 2016 in a coordinated effort by law enforcement agencies from around the world.
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