Get in touch with us today to find out how can we help you.
What Is The Botnet?
Houston IT companies provide solutions for businesses in terms of the Internet of Things (IoT). If you’re not familiar with IoT, it basically refers to mobile devices, desktop devices, and other various tech solutions that increase the scope of the internet such that it transcends the digital and has real-world impact.
You can control your home’s heating system, air conditioning, and security with the swipe of your finger across the screen of your smartphone. Businesses likewise have many IoT applications that streamline operations and increase productivity. Well, the Botnet is kind of like the “blackhat” version of IOT.
Basically, through end-user devices that are mobile or stationary, digital software bots are put to task manipulating applications to produce false data or to siphon information away from your business. Oftentimes, third-party applications usher in what are known as Trojan programs. These are malware of the botnet variety which hides behind a program that feigns to provide one service but actually exists as a sort of disguise for the botnet.
It’s important to remember that the botnet isn’t a singular virus working from a singular device, it’s something often perpetuated through multiple devices, and working toward a specific larger purpose. Two primary applications of botnet intrusion threaten the market today:
- DDoS Attacks or “Mirai” Malware
- Falsified Users or “Methbots”
DDoS Attacks or “Mirai” Malware
In many cases, botnets are built incrementally. 2016 saw a great example of a DDoS attack facilitated through a botnet. “Mirai” is Japanese for “the future”, and it essentially turns certain devices into bots. In 2016, third-party applications made bots of many devices. So many, in fact, that the subsequent DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack basically shut down the east coast. Unless you are absolutely sure of the third-party app, Houston IT companies are going to advise that you avoid downloading it. third-party apps are almost ideally designed for Mirai software which converts multiple devices to bots.
Falsified Users or “Methbots”
Have you ever heard of a PPC campaign? This stands for pay-per-click. Basically, a business buys such services from a provider like Google, and the search engine has the prerogative to ensure clicks are facilitated. When someone clicks on an ad through a PPC, Google can invoice for it. The more clicks come, the more Google makes. Well, methbots basically “pretend” as though they are real people initiating real clicks. They infect servers and the like in order to generate false revenue. They “fake” the clicks, as it were, which demonstrate an ad’s visibility. This can be used to undermine those just seeking online marketing support. The most annoying thing about methbots is the way in which they infiltrate. It can be hard to notice them if they’re properly managed. Generally, though, an exceptional and inexplicable spike in visibility could be the fault of methbot botnets.
Safeguarding Your Operation
Houston IT companies can help you avoid being undermined by malicious botnets designed to either undermine your operations or mischaracterize marketing. We offer security solutions as well as other cutting-edge technology. Contact us now at ICS to safeguard operations and even optimize them.
Further reading
ICS is a Texas-based 40-year-old technology company specializing in Managed IT, VoIP, Video Conferencing and Video Surveillance solutions for US and International businesses. ICS has over 4000 regional installations and specializes in multi-site businesses between 25 and 2500 employees. ICS’s customers enjoy the experience of ICS’s Total Care program which provides clients flat fee services with obsolescence and growth protection. Whether a customer elects to deploy their IT, Video Conferencing or VoIP in the cloud or on the customer’s premise, ICS can provide a full turn-key solution for our clients under one flat monthly fee.