The existence of botnets is the most serious threat to the information security today - Essay Example

In other words, when one downloads bot software embedded in an email using a computer, the computer gets infected with the bot software and becomes part of the botnet. For a botnet to qualify as a botnet, it must always take action on a client machine through IRC channels, without the intervention of a bot herder. This means that the hacker (or group of hackers) need not personally log onto the client’s computer. Botnets usually are host to several threats as one package. Typically, the botnet is made up of the bot server and at least one botclients.

History of Botnets The origin of bots is associated with positive objectives, mainly to automate activities, the first real botnet being established in 1993. Botnets for example were used to run activities such as internet games, protect channels and perform conversions (Hudak, nd). Over time, the positive attributes evolved and started to be exploited for malicious purposes. Today, the negative activities carried out by botnets include sending of spam, controlling of client PCs against their wishes and to propagate viruses and worms.

Botnets first existed with DoS and DDoS with hackers creating better ways of managing the bots over time. From the traditional Command and Control (C&C) mechanism, botnets became transmitted signals based on P2P, IRC and HTTP according to Hudak (nd). The potential of botnets today cannot be understated. It is not uncommon for example for one botnet to consist of over 10,000 computers. It is also not rare to find a botnet consisting of over 400000 computers.The potential of having so many bots interconnected makes the potential of any botnet go beyond common imagination.

In fact, it is this potential that is normally harnessed by botmasters (whether with positive or negative intentions) to achieve their goals or accomplish goals fast and efficiently. How Botnets Work and What they are used for The establishment of a botnet depends on the existence of a hacker, a server and client computers. The hacker creates and transmits commands to a computer through a server. The server performs this function repeatedly thereby creating an army of bots that lie in the control of the botmaster.

Botnets having been created may be used for a myriad of activities including spamming, phishing, executing click fraud, transmitting Ad-ware as well as for Distributed Denial of Service (DDos) among pother purposes. In 1988 for example, a person by the name of Morris infected over 6,000 computers with Worm worm which represented about 10 percent of Fi (Schiller, 2007). The loss associated with this infection was approximated at between 10 and 100 million USD. Impact of Botnets on Information Security Those in favor of the establishment of botnets argue that botnets make work easier and is a creative way of making cash just like any other job (Schiller, 2007).

In consideration of the fact stated above, botnets have been used before to make mega kills by persons with malicious intentions as they seek financial motivation or publicity. It has, for example, been reported that Jeanson James in 2006 earned over 60,000 US dollars using a botnet of 400,000 computers that transmitted ad-ware. The amount of publicity that botnets draw to their creators is usually amazing when they are discovered. Apart from the economic benefits of botnets to their creators, a lot of harm is associated with their existence especially considering that a lot of important information is stored by individuals and