Class 8, Botnets and Zombie Networks

Botnets and zombie networks pose a huge danger on the internet for the common user that would have no idea what these things are or how to get rid of them. A botnet is multiple programs working together to perform a task, the problem is that these tasks can just as easily be unwanted rather than something you installed onto your computer yourself. If an illegal botnet infects your computer in the form of malware, the controller of that botnet is able to direct what happens by using things like HTTP. An example of this would be launching a web browser and malware asking "(botnet name) would like to use Yahoo instead of Google as your default search engine". Below is a screenshot of the difference between legal and illegal botnets, and what to look out for.

Another big issue along these lines are zombie networks, or just a "zombie" computer. A zombie is a computer that has a connection to the internet and has been taken over by either a hacker or virus via the internet. Downloading things without caution can easily cause this to happen, many downloads from non-credible sites on the internet might have a virus attached to them, which then takes pricy anti-virus software to remove, or the tedious task can be done yourself, if you know how to but that leaves much room for error. Below is a wiki article I found on zombie networks/computers.

These issues are quite common, and never an easy time to deal with. The most proactive thing that can be done is to research a bit about malware and the other negative things that happen on a daily basis to people all over the world. Sticking to prominent sites is a good way to protect yourself from downloading one of these things previously mentioned (a download from an unknown site is much more likely to have malware attached to it than a download from apple.com, for example). Below is a video on "how to survive botnet attacks" and it contains some useful information about botnets and what to do if you ever encounter one.