Semalt Expert: How To Stay Safe From Botnets?

23.05.2018

Semalt Expert: How To Stay Safe From Botnets?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a relatively new technology that is responsible for connecting different devices and objects to the internet. It also provides useful data for the proper functioning of your computer or mobile device. In the race of competitive products, the users and manufacturers have developed some dangerous techniques, including botnets.

Artem Abgarian, a top expert from Semalt, focuses on the fact that the botnets are a group of Internet-connected computer or mobile devices controlled by a centralized server or system. This term is mostly used in conjugation with speci c hacks, especially the Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS attacks).

How do the hackers perform their activities?

With the help of botnets and hundreds to thousands of infected computers, the hackers can easily track your IP address. They use their unique IP addresses to distinguish the legitimate and fake users. Once they have found the unique computer devices and IP addresses, their next target is to infect those devices so that they can perform their speci c tasks.

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23.05.2018

Danger#1: Steal your information The Internet of Things can easily steal your personal details and private data. They work with or without the bad spiders and monitor your activities silently. Once you log out of your system, they immediately start performing their functions and hijack your device in no time.

Danger#2: Inexpensive devices especially PCs The markets are ooded with cheap and inexpensive computer and mobile devices, webcams, thermostats, yoga mats, fry pans and baby monitors. You should avoid buying anything that is not up to the mark, and that belongs to an odd or unknown brand. This is because various dangers are associated with such devices. The botnets are likely to make them the victims by compromising their information. All these devices are to be connected to the internet and have their unique IPs. With the little or no security, you might lose your access to your devices, and the hackers might steal your usernames and passwords in no time.

Danger#3: No built-in security – no access to your device Installing an anti-malware program or antivirus software is essential. You should regularly monitor your activities online and have some backup les maintained. Keep an eye on your security patches and don't forget to keep them updated. Also, you should have a strong password with uppercase and lowercase words so that no one can guess it easily. Back in 2016, the botnets compromised a large number of devices just because their passwords were easy to guess. On an average, ten thousand IoT devices were compromised and were handed over to the Internet infrastructure providers for maintenance. Even the websites like Twitter and Net ix were attacked, and the hackers soon disappeared from the internet after committing the crime.

The botnets that performed these tasks were created with a speci c malware known as Mirai. This malware is responsible for stealing private data and passwords of a large number of devices. It wasn't a genius malware, so measures against it were easy to be taken. The DDoS attacks are as widespread and frequent as the bots and spiders. They penetrate the computer and mobile devices, asking the users to click on the fraud ads and check the af liate sites.

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