BOTS, Bot-nets or Malware
This is a question I have asked myself these last couple of weeks. I have wondered if others have had this question as well.
While it is difficult to track a bot-net on your computers. It is however something ever internet user needs to be aware of. Bots are thought of as a tool which give a bot command centers access to your computer resources. The command center can sell their / your computer resources to the highest bidders. The highest bidders can then use your computer to send out spam or attack other networks.
In the last couple of months bot-nets have become traffic of interest with the ISP’s. There are a few companies that are working with the ISP to monitor this traffic. With their assistance ISP are now starting to notify customers’ of their potential bot infections.
A bit of background as I understand it to be. The companies who are working with the ISP are monitoring the Command Centers. These command centers are shooting out packets to the bots that they control and when they get a reply back to the command center they are still considered live. Now also as I understand it, these bot will not have to communicate daily to be under the command centers control. This is what makes it very difficult to find these bots.
So what is the difference between a BOT, Malware or virus. This is not an easy question to answer. As these all can reflect the same kind of traffic and can be mistaken for the same things.
