Botnets 101: The FBI Explains What They Are And How To Avoid Them

The FBI web page offers some good advice on avoiding botnets.

Last month, the head of an international securities fraud ring was sentenced to federal prison for manipulating stock prices by using botnets to distribute spam promoting those stocks. And several months ago, 10 members of an international cyber crime ring were arrested for using botnets to steal more than $850 million after obtaining personal financial information from compromised computers.

The use of botnets is on the rise. And industry experts estimate that botnet attacks have resulted in the overall loss of millions of dollars from financial institutions and other major U.S. businesses. They’ve also affected universities, hospitals, defense contractors, law enforcement, and all levels of government.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/botnets-101/botnets-101-what-they-are-and-how-to-avoid-them 

You can also read my crime prevention column on botnets via the below link:

http://www.businessknowhow.com/security/botnets.htm 

Note: The above photo was released by the FBI.