Botnets

From a combination of the words robot and network, a botnet is a collection of internet-connected programs that creates an army of ‘zombies’ (infected computers) in order to perform tasks such as sending spam email, spreading malware or participating in denial-of-service attacks against a web server. You may be unaware that your computer is a zombie.

Your computer may be compromised if it crashes frequently, you receive unexplained error messages, or if its performance has slowed. Botnets will use your computer’s processor and Internet connection to perform actions that can slow down your machine even when all your applications are closed. Although they often go unnoticed, social media posts or emails from your account that you didn’t send are  signs that your computer may be a zombie.

To protect yourself,  keep your computer’s firewall at maximum level, update and run your security software regularly, and check the tips section of this website to protect your computer.