Advancements in technology and the digital world have offered a lot of benefits to mankind. However, their unethical use can also lead to detrimental effects, often resulting in the theft of sensitive data or money. One such manipulation of digital tech can be seen in the form of cyberattacks. Today, these attacks have taken multiple shapes, and not a single internet-connected device is safe from them. One of the most recent types of cyberattacks is botnets.
Botnets are referred to a situation where one or more connect devices are hijack by malicious actors. The cumulative effect of all these devices can cause a big loss, particularly for corporations. This technique has become so sophisticated that most of the time, users are unaware of the fact that someone else is commanding their machines.
If you want to protect your system from botnets, keep reading the article as it will shed light on various types of botnets and how you can tackle them.
6 Common Types of Botnets and Their Solution
If you are using a network with weak security, it can work as a goldmine for botnet attacks. Multiple types of botnets that can wreak havoc on your company are the below:
1. HTTP
As the name shows, an HTTP botnet is related to a hypertext transfer protocol. During the initial days of HTTP, it was impossible to imagine it could be used for the most detrimental type of cyberattacks, the HTTP botnets. However, somehow, botmasters have found their way, and today, all corporations and organizations are prone to this attack.
In this type of attack, a bot herder manipulates HTTP protocol to give instructions and server access to the bots. Contact the professionals at Cybersecurity Companies Dubai to protect your system from HTTP botnets and avoid the associated loss.
2. Spam-sending
Such type of botnets is used to send countless spam messages to individuals. This can happen both on a small or large scale. It usually happens when a botmaster converts a server with POP3 or SMTP into a botnet. This starts a wave of sending spam or fraudulent messages or emails to the recipient over and over again. The means of gathering email addresses for these bots are guestbooks, online forums, and websites. You can turn on the double opt-in option to address this attack.
3. Manual
Manual botnets can be the most sinister type due to their operative mechanism. As compared to the other types, a manual botnet is controlled by a human operator, as implied in the name “manual.” Such bots give more control and freedom to the master than automated ones. Bot herders can directly control all the infected and compromised devices for illegal activities.
Cybercriminals can use such botnets to steal or download sensitive data or other illicit activities. Nonetheless, as dangerous as this attack is, it is easy to detect. It is because of the same manual involvement that gives an edge to the malicious actors. You can prevent such attacks by regularly updating the software.
4. P2P
P2P botnets are one of those cyberattacks that cannot be detected easily. It takes a lot of expertise and time to detect such botnets. This type is a decentralized solution, like cryptocurrency, for their masters. The word decentralized indicates there is no server or central authority to facilitate the exchange. They work in a peer-to-peer fashion by establishing a direct point of contact. They are generally considered more resilient due to their nature. Intrusion detection systems can help reduce the risk of P2P botnet attacks.
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5. Backdoor
In the cyber world, the name Backdoor is given to the technique through which anyone can get access to a device or system surpassing all the security measurements. This technique can be used even by unauthorized persons to get high-level access, also called root access. After infiltrating, hackers can commit heinous crimes like pilfering financial data or stealing personal information. Additionally, they can gain control over other devices or software.
Using robust passwords and employing powerful security measures can help avoid backdoor botnet attacks. Also, keep your system updated to further reduce the risk.
6. Automated
This type of botnet is completely autonomous, and there is no intervention of humans. Manual control is not involved, and everything works in an automated way. Their main purpose after infecting the victim is to utilize the available resources. These resources include but are not limited to network bandwidth and a local Central Processing Unit or CPU.
Hackers typically use both resources to initiate a DDoS or Distributed Denial of Service attack. In this case, botmasters can flood the victim’s site with unusually high traffic, which is typically more than the server’s capacity. You can protect your system from automated bots by ensuring an exceptional level of security. Contact the experts at Cybersecurity Companies Dubai to get advanced and robust security for your system for addressing automated botnet problems.
Is Your System Protected from Botnet Attacks?
Protecting systems from such kinds of cyberattacks is critical to avoid potential losses. You can contact a reliable cybersecurity services provider to strengthen your networks against these sinister attacks. This way, you will not have to worry about dealing with botnet attacks.
