How Do Hackers Control a Botnet?
- A single bot server powers centralized models. A version of this paradigm includes additional servers designated as sub-herders, or “proxies.” In both centralized and proxy-based hierarchies, all commands originate with the bot herder. Either structure exposes the bot herder to discovery, making these older approaches less than optimal.
- Decentralized approaches distribute the instruction duties across all zombie computers. As long as the bot herder can communicate with any of the zombie computers, they can transmit the orders to the others. The peer-to-peer structure makes it much more difficult to identify the bot herder party. P2P is becoming increasingly popular due to its evident advantages over earlier centralized solutions.
What is Botnet?
A Botnet is a group of internet-connected devices, such as personal computers (PCs), servers, mobile devices, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, that have been infected and controlled by a common kind of malware, typically without the owner’s knowledge. Each machine controlled by the bot-herder is referred to as a “bot.” From a central point, the attacking party may instruct every computer on its botnet to carry out a coordinated illegal operation.