Botnet

A botnet is a network of hijacked devices, such as computers, home routers, security cameras and other smart gadgets, that are secretly controlled by a criminal. Each infected device is called a bot. Owners usually do not notice anything except perhaps a slower connection. Criminals use botnets to send spam, run credential stuffing attacks, hide their real location, and flood websites with traffic until they crash. Devices with default passwords or outdated software are the easiest to recruit. To keep your devices out of botnets, change default passwords on routers and smart devices, install firmware updates, and replace old equipment that no longer receives security updates.