What does botnet mean?
A botnet is a group of computers, smartphones, routers, or other connected devices that have been infected with malware and placed under the remote control of a botnet operator. Once a device joins a botnet, it may receive instructions to send spam, steal information, scan other systems, or participate in distributed denial-of-service attacks that overwhelm a target with traffic. The individual compromised devices are often called bots, hence the compound name. Botnets vary in size and purpose, from criminal operations involving fraud or spam to networks associated with larger cybersecurity incidents. The term is most common in information-security reporting, technology journalism, and discussions of online privacy and digital defense. Understanding botnets is useful because a single infection can become part of a much larger coordinated system, and removing malware from one device does not necessarily disrupt the network as a whole.
nounA network of malware-infected computers or other connected devices that can be remotely controlled by an operator, usually to carry out coordinated attacks or other malicious activity.
- A network of compromised computers, smartphones, or other internet-connected devices that are remotely controlled by malware and operated as a group.
"The security company identified a large botnet responsible for the distributed denial-of-service attack."
"Security researchers traced the botnet to a command-and-control server hosting malware for infected devices."
"The malware was designed to enroll the router in a botnet before launching further attacks."
The standard plural is botnets; a single network may be described as a botnet, while multiple networks or separate botnet operations may be called botnets.
"Several botnets have been used to coordinate large-scale denial-of-service attacks."
A botnet turns thousands of individually compromised devices into one coordinated digital weapon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does botnet come from?
Botnet combines the shortened form bot, ultimately derived from robot, with the English word network. The modern word robot comes from Czech robota, meaning work or labour, through its use in Karel Čapek's play R.U.R.; network is English and ultimately comes from Latin rete, meaning net. Botnet became established in cybersecurity usage in the late 1990s and early 2000s as internet-connected devices increasingly became capable of being remotely coordinated.
Related word forms
How botnet is actually used
Botnet is primarily a cybersecurity term and is usually used in technical, journalistic, or law-enforcement contexts. It normally has a negative or threatening connotation because botnets are associated with unauthorized control and coordinated malicious activity.
Easily confused with botnet
A bot is an individual automated program or device, whereas a botnet is a network of bots controlled by a common operator.