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Bots and botnets

 

Bots and botnets

 

A "bot" and a "botnet" are related concepts in the realm of computer security and networking.


Bot

A bot is a software application that performs automated tasks on the internet. Bots can be designed for various purposes, both legitimate and malicious.

Legitimate bots include search engine crawlers that index web pages, chatbots for customer support, and other automated tools that perform useful functions.

Malicious bots, on the other hand, are designed to carry out harmful actions without the user's knowledge or consent. Examples include web scraping bots, spambots, and bots used in various cyber attacks.


Botnet

A botnet is a network of compromised computers, often referred to as "zombies," that are infected with malicious software (malware) and controlled by a central entity known as the "bot herder" or "botmaster."

The individual computers in a botnet are called "bots." These bots can be used collectively to perform coordinated actions, such as launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, spreading malware, sending spam emails, or engaging in other malicious activities.

Botnets are often created by infecting a large number of computers with a type of malware, typically through methods like phishing emails, exploiting software vulnerabilities, or using other social engineering techniques,


Key differences

Bot: Refers to a single automated software application that can perform tasks, either benign or malicious.

Botnet: Refers to a network of compromised computers, each running one or more bots, under the control of a central entity.

In summary, a bot is a single automated program, while a botnet is a collection of such bots working together, typically for malicious purposes. Botnets are a significant concern in cybersecurity as they can be used to carry out large-scale and coordinated attacks, often without the knowledge of the owners of the compromised computers.

 

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