What are botnets?
A botnet is a network of Internet-enabled devices (PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet, router, TV, NAS, etc.) that are infected with malware and then plugged together.
Once connected to the Internet, a botnet can respond to remote commands from cybercriminals. The individual computers are called “bot” or “zombie”. In principle, a bot is the damaging program itself, but its meaning is also associated with the system.
The network connectivity and local resources of affected computers are used without the knowledge of the owners of cybercriminals for different purposes: Thus, the own computer unnoticed for sending spam can be abused, but also the execution of DDoS attacks or phishing, so the collection of personal data and Passwords, is possible.
Botnet operators want to hijack as many computers as possible to increase the resources available to them. They not only use the botnets themselves, but also rent them on the criminal market. The botnet increases itself and keeps itself alive by spreading the malware and infecting other computers.
It is believed that up to a quarter of all computers worldwide are part of a botnet. Switzerland is attractive for botnets, not least because it provides a high-performance Internet infrastructure. The botnets themselves serve as the infrastructure for cybercrime and are one of the largest sources of illegal Internet revenu