This week's #broaddata is a breakdown of how a botnet attack works. For those of you who have already heard of a botnet, jump right in and enjoy the graphic! But if you're one of the many asking yourself, "What's a botnet and why do I care?", we're here to help.
A botnet is a collection of Internet connected devices communicating with each other in order to perform tasks in concert. As a group, these devices are capable of causing serious havoc if they're all simultaneously instructed to attack a single target like a bank or government office. A criminal can take control of thousands of computers – even your computer – and create a botnet. Before your computer can be taken over, it often has to have a piece of malware installed on it. This can be a program with a virus that you accidentally downloaded or it could be installed remotely, without you knowing about it. However it happens, once your computer is infected, it's possible that it can be controlled and used in a botnet attack.
There are things you can do to help prevent your computer form becoming infected and used by a criminal. Check out this article in PCWorld to learn how to prevent malware and what to do if you think your computer has malware on it. And know that your ISP is there to help you keep your computer safe. If they detect you or something on your home network is communicating with a compromised server or with a known botnet, they can alert you.
To learn more about how your ISP can help you prevent a bonet attack, go to http://transition.fcc.gov/bureaus/pshs/advisory/csric3/CSRIC-III-WG7-Final-Report.pdf