Security Analyses

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Botnets and Zombies--------------------------------------------------3

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Botnets and Zombies

Botnets are a group of computers that have been hacked and their settings modified so as to forward harmful information to other machines on the internet . The settings of these computers are usually changed without the knowledge of the owners . Therefore most of the computers which are connected to the internet

might be bots while the users in most cases are unaware (Brenner , 2007 . These computers whose settings have been manipulated to do such are called zombies . Zombies usually works as computer robots by executing instructions sent to them by their master . The master being the source of the virus or the harmful information . Many of the zombies have been found out to be computers that are being used at home . The reason is that , majority of the home users in most cases do not protect their machines by installing security software . On the other hand , they in most cases use high speed internet connections which are most commonly targeted by the hackers . The creation of zombies mainly occurs via an internet port which has been left unutilized . The unutilized port forms an ideal place in which a very minute program called Trojan horse can be and can be activated whenever it is required . In to get activated , the master can just sent information through an internet relay channel . The master can all the zombies to sent information to a particular host (mainly a website . This causes so much traffic to the host and the website might be closed down due to unavailability of service . In most cases , these programs or botnets are created with only one objective The objective being to shut down or steal vital information from the rival company or competitor . This then can be real danger to business and companies who mainly depends on the computers in day to day running of their services . Botnets usually occurs in a number of network connections , including wireless and the landline . It is also created within a variety of networks such as governmental , colleges and also the security networks . The master controller can generate a zombie inside one of these networks where there is a high speed internet connection The high speed can therefore be used to support and serve more botnets In recent past , several botnets have been impounded and destroyed by the police . For example , 1 .45 million connections of botnets were once destroyed in the Netherlands (Piazza , Feb , 2006 . Studies also indicate that , in the near future , quarter of all home-based computers will be hacked and used as botnets . Botnets are usually served by servers which are created in places with high speed internet connections . A group of botnets is also controlled by a master controller . The master controller does not usually have a definite way of communication and they always depend on their neighbors...