How to Prevent Botnet Attacks?

Understand how to prevent botnet attacks and the steps they take to originate. Protect your users, endpoints, and networks. Achieve strong security and speed up incident response to botnet invasions.

A botnet attack uses a mix of robots and networks to launch mass-scale attacks on organizations. These are all internet-connected and involve using malware to infect devices.

You can have an army of minions who can mindlessly execute malicious orders automatically on the fly.

Botnet attacks are becoming increasingly complex and common and can overwhelm organizations. This guide will break down how to prevent botnet attacks and what to watch out for.

What is a Botnet Attack?

A botnet attack will have a command and control model. The attacker will remotely control the actions of botnets, which are known as remote devices. These devices can infect other organizations’ networks and can launch strong threats.

Any of these devices can also act as zombie bots and put enterprises at risk.

Botnet attacks target vulnerabilities in devices like network routers, web servers, smart wearables, tablets, mobile phones, and computers. They can also target web-enabled smart home devices like TVs, thermostats, mobile cameras, or any technology that is written with code.

Botnets can be replicated and distributed across networks and they can hijack other devices in the process as well.

How Do Botnet Attacks Work?

A bot herder can build his own botnet from scratch or rent one from the dark web. Botnets are available for sale as Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) and zombie bots can be anonymously controlled via decentralized peer-to-peer (P2P) and centralized client-server models. Adversaries can initiate centralized botnet attacks as single server functioning executables. They can use proxy or sub-herding servers and key in commands directly from the original bot herder servers. Centralized botnet attacks are old fashioned which means locating and shutting them down is relatively easy. Decentralized botnet attacks are trickier. It’s because malware can propagate via other hijacked devices. P2P frameworks cannot be identified easily and you don’t know who the people in control are because of their decentralized nature.

There are three common phases in a botnet attack:

1. Vulnerability identification
2. Device infection
3. Attack mobilization

1. Vulnerability Identification

This is where the adversary will find a vulnerability or opening in a network, website, or application. Inadvertent user behavior may cause unforeseen vulnerabilities which the attacker may potentially exploit. They don’t care about the source, they just want an entry point and look for it.

2. Device Infection

An unsuspecting user’s device gets hijacked and transformed into a Zombat bot through malware delivery. The delivery model can be spamming, social engineering, phishing, or a mix of anything. Basically, the user gets duped into downloading malware like Trojan viruses and runs malicious executables without knowing about it. This gives attackers the opportunity to breach security and infect their devices.

3. Botnet Mobilization

After the attacker has infected a few devices, he will connect and network them to control remotely. Their goal is to hijack and infect as many devices as possible, so that they can expand the damage radius.

Here is the damage botnet attacks can do:

• Botnet attacks can collect user data, transfer sensitive files, and read or write data without explicit permission in any system.
• They can be used for performing ad-hoc crimes like stealing money, extorting payments, cryptocurrency mining, and leaking confidential account data. Botnet attackers can also sell stolen access on the dark web and enable secondary hijacking schemes.
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are one of the most common types of botnet attacks launched by hackers. They disrupt public-facing services and bombard networks with heavy malicious traffic.

How to Detect Botnet Infections?

Here are some signs you might be a victim of a botnet infection:

1. Slow website loading times

If your website is not loading up or loading very slowly, it could be because your web server is under a botnet attack. You might also get a message that says 503 Service Unavailable error.

It can say something like:

“The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.”

Then that means you are being attacked by botnets.

This is the usual outcome of a distributed denial of service attack.

A high number of connection requests will be made to your web server or private network which will cause it to overload and go offline.

Botnet phishing attack: A botnet phishing attack happens when cybercriminals can send you a high volume of emails with malicious or infected links. Their goal is to steal your private credentials and overload your inbox. If you suspect you’re receiving too many phishing emails, then you can forward and report them to the Federal Trade Commission at [email protected] and to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected].

2. Unexpected Cursor Movements

Another sign you might be infected by botnet malware is if you experience the following symptoms: your computer’s cursor moves on its own and your system is slower than usual.

3. Bank Statements and Text Chats

You notice suspicious activity is going on with your bank statements. Text-based chat windows are suddenly popping up on your desktop which you haven’t authorized.

4. Multiple Endpoint Connection Requests

If you are the victim of a targeted intrusion, then you might also get multiple connection requests from the same IP address made to a single server port. That’s another sign of a botnet infection, and attackers can go deeper by trying to compromise your sensitive resources. Specific points of your network will be targeted during these targeted intrusions, which is what botnets do to cause data breaches. Computers can be targeted by botnet attacks and no operating system is kept safe. PCs are the main targets, but Macs are also not safe. IoT devices can turn into bots and endpoints can be infected and connected to criminal servers.

5. Background Attacks

What’s scary is sometimes you won’t know that you’re the victim of a botnet infection. Attackers can just stay dormant until they give out commands from a bot hoarder or bot master. When a botnet is activated, it can operate in the background without any noticeable evidence. Each bot can divert a small amount of bandwidth at a specified target.

Over time, their hidden activity can compromise your infrastructure and you will need to detect the malicious traffic that leads up to larger, larger scale cyber attacks.

Your operating system also won’t be able to automatically apply and make updates or implement the latest past patches if it is, but if it has been infected by botnet malware. Your computer’s fan might also operate slowly or be louder than usual when it’s— That’s evidence that extra bandwidth is being used to increase the intensity of the botnet attack.

Any other software programs can also work unusually slow and your computer could also shut down very slowly. Your Facebook account could also get hacked, and botnets are known to compromise your email lists in accounts.

Best Practices to Prevent Botnet Attacks

Here are some things you can do to master how to prevent botnet attacks.

1. Close Unused Ports

Open ports are like gateways of vulnerabilities to cybercriminals. They can exploit them anytime and inject botnet malware. We recommend you close and filter them. If you don’t know how to detect open or unused ports, then use a free open port scanner to find them.

2. Apply Network Segmentation

Network segmentation can reduce your security perimeter and minimize the scope for botnet malware attacks. It can prevent infections from spreading and add an extra layer, a deeper layer of control to your security, especially when it comes to IoT devices.

3. Keep Programs Updated

Botnet malware attacks can involve using spyware, and they exploit software vulnerabilities. You can prevent them by applying the latest software updates and patches. This will keep all remote devices and IoT networks safe. You should apply automatic software updates and patching to your operating system. Keep your antivirus programs up to date to detect the latest threats.

Mobile devices can also be hijacked, so don’t be limited to updating only your computers or desktop software. Check your iOS devices and keep your mobile firmware up to date.

4. Use Firewalls and Strong Security Credentials

Enforcing strict firewall controls can detect and block botnet communications. It can prevent your resources from being overused by cybercriminals. One of the best forms of defense against botnet attacks is to use super strong login credentials, a mix of special characters and numbers. letters, along with high password length. It can prevent hackers from easily guessing your logins. They won’t be able to launch brute force attacks and it will take them a lot of time.

If you also rotate your passwords often or change them frequently, then that’s good. It won’t give attackers a chance to reuse them. We also recommend not using the same password across multiple platforms. Use a password vault or password manager if you struggle with keeping track of all your accounts.

5. Enforce Multi-factor Authentication.

Two-factor authentication might not be enough to stop botnet attacks as they grow increasingly sophisticated, but multi-factor authentication can secure your private networks and devices.

It will give you the highest level of security and prevent botnet infections from spreading. Use MFA across devices, networks, and user accounts.

6. Use Pop-up Blockers and Don’t Engage with Phishing Emails.

Phishing is one of the most common ways to receive botnet infections. Don’t open emails with malicious links or bother engaging with them. Look for typos and grammatical errors. It’s a great idea to prevent DNS cache poisoning.

Popups can activate unsolicited malware if you download and click on them.

Use a good popup blocking solution because just ignoring popups doesn’t work since they can unintentionally resurface and you might accidentally interact or click on them.

7. Monitor Attack Surfaces

Monitor your attack surfaces and use an AI threat detection solution to remain vigilant.

It will help you detect threats. You can detect vulnerabilities across your ecosystem and prevent incoming botnet infections. You can shut down data leakages by preventing involuntary exposure of your sensitive credentials.

Real-World Examples of Botnet Attacks

One great example of this is the Mirai botnet attack that occurred in 2016.  It took down a major domain name service provider and caused performance issues. The Mirai botnet attack had caused service outages for brands like Twitter, CNN, Netflix, and many others. It even impacted countries like Liberia and several big Russian banks.

Here’s another story: An unpatched Edimax IP camera flaw was actively exploited and BleepingComputer confirmed it. Akamai researchers reported it to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA). It was found that an OS command injection attack was used to neutralize incoming requests. Attackers gained remote code execution access and exploited it.

Conclusion

Botnet attacks are constantly changing at an alarming rate, and traditional security controls are ineffective. You can stay one step ahead of these threats by adopting a multi-layered defense strategy. By using the correct tools and techniques, your organization can reduce attack surfaces and stay resilient to botnet attacks.

There is no silver bullet in botnet defense, but a combination of technical controls and security awareness is a good defense against these sustained threats. Protect your enterprise with SentinelOne today.
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FAQs

What is a botnet in cybersecurity?

A botnet is a network of infected computers and devices controlled remotely by hackers. You can view it as a zombie army of machines doing automatic tasks without the knowledge of their owners. These networks may consist of dozens, hundreds, or millions of infected devices, all ready to receive commands to:

• Launch attacks
• Steal information
• Spread malware
• Generate simulated traffic

Why Are Botnet Attacks So Dangerous?

Botnet attacks are very harmful as they involve collaborative computing resources of thousands of computers. You can incur severe damages when you are attacked using these networks.

Their danger is one of scale, stealth, and versatility. Botnets can overwhelm servers, pilfer sensitive information, and distribute malware at unprecedented levels while hiding their true origin behind cascades of infected hosts.

How do botnets infect devices?

Botnets spread via a variety of infection vectors. You usually find them spread via:

• Phishing emails with harmful attachments or links
• Unpatched software vulnerabilities being attacked
• Malicious websites that offer drive-by downloads
• Infected USB drives or removable media
• Weak passwords that allow brute force attacks

After being installed, the malware communicates with command servers, waiting for the hackers’ commands.

How can businesses detect and mitigate botnet threats?

You can identify botnet attacks by watching for abnormal activity in network traffic. Watch for unanticipated outgoing connections, sudden spikes in traffic, or abnormal DNS queries. Use network segmentation to isolate infections.

Install advanced endpoint security platforms with behavior monitoring. Scheduled security scans enable vulnerabilities to become known before attackers find them. You must also create response plans specifically designed for botnet attacks and train staff to recognize warning signs.

How can individuals protect their personal devices from botnets?

You can protect your devices by keeping all software current with security patches. Install legitimate antivirus software that has botnet detection features.

Use unique strong passwords for all accounts and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible. Be cautious with email attachments and links even from those you trust. Secure your home router as well by resetting default passwords and updating its firmware periodically.

How to Respond to a Botnet Attack?

You must quarantine infected machines right away to avoid spreading. Remove affected computers from the network without contaminating evidence for examination.

Call in your in-house security team or hire third-party experts. Scan full systems using the latest security software. Once you’ve removed the malware, update all passwords and determine how you became infected. You will have to put other security measures in place based on what you have learned from the incident.

What are the Common Types of Botnet Attacks?

DDoS attacks overwhelm victims with amounts of traffic from numerous sources. You will discover attackers use botnets for credential stuffing to take over accounts on websites. Spam attacks deliver malicious messages or scams to millions of users. Cryptojacking uses your computing power to mine cryptocurrency unbeknownst to you. Data theft attacks steal sensitive information in the background over a period. Click fraud generates fake traffic to ad networks for financial gain.