A botnet is a zombie network made up of ordinary user computers infected with bots - stand-alone software. Attackers who secretly install bots on multiple computers, then use them as part of the network for some illegal activity. The owner of a computing device, as a rule, does not realize this until the Internet is turned off for him, until the money disappears from his accounts or until his mailbox is stolen.
Networked computers infected with malware are powerful cyber weapons and a great way for those who control them to get rich. In this case, the attacker himself can be anywhere in the world where there is Internet.
Botnets typically perform large-scale criminal tasks. For example, sending spam from infected machines can earn a spammer $ 50,000-100,000 a year. In this case, the sanctions that can be applied to the mail address from which spam is sent will only affect the owners of the infected machines. In other words, they will bear all the negative consequences of sending spam. Botnets are also used for cyber shouting. A powerful computer network can, on the order of an attacker, launch an effective DDoS attack on any server, creating problems in its operation. This attack can continue for as long as desired until the owner of the server pays the ransom. Recently, DDoS attacks have also been used as a means of political pressure when the official resources of a state are attacked.
In addition, botnets are used as a means of anonymous access to the Internet so that it is safe for cybercriminals to hack websites and steal passwords from infected computers. A separate type of crime is the leasing of botnets and the creation of zombie networks for sale.
Today, the development of botnet technologies follows several paths. The control interface is simplified, bots are protected from detection by antivirus programs, and botnet actions are becoming more and more invisible, even for specialists. Prices on the botnet market are getting lower, the simplicity of managing zombie networks is accessible even for teenagers, there are practically no effective means to stop the creation of bots and networks. It is believed that the entire Internet is one big botnet.