How to Prevent Botnet Attacks: Who Is at Risk?

The number of bot-driven attacks has risen exponentially in recent years, making them a high-level threat to the cyber security landscape. Botnets have emerged as the preferred modus operandi for hackers orchestrating large-scale cyber assaults. Reports indicate there has been a 53 percent surge in criminal botnet usage from 2023 to 2024. As hackers hone their botnet schemes, it’s essential for industry leaders to understand these automated schemes represent a clear and present danger to businesses on a global scale.

What is a Botnet in Cyber Security?

For professionals outside the managed IT and cyber security niche, the term “botnet” is a conflation of the words “robot” and “network.” Appropriately labeled, a botnet involves a group of internet-linked computerized devices that work in concert. Using malicious applications, these synced devices act like an army of foot soldiers advancing on legitimate business networks. The use of swaths of computers to spread malware and overrun platforms makes botnets a significant challenge to organizations that appear to have seemingly robust cyber security measures in place. Malware and botnets are a powerful, unholy union that requires hyper-vigilant cyber security defenses.

Key Steps Used in a Botnet Attack

The way hackers organize a botnet attack highlights the importance of determined cyber security measures. Cyber criminals must first find a vulnerability they can exploit before gaining control of a group of devices. Weaknesses may include unpatched software, website defects, inserting malware or gaining access to login credentials.

Once a vulnerability has been uncovered, digital thieves exploit it with malware that allows them to hijack the devices. Using them in concert, the series of computers becomes a powerful weapon that can run roughshod over platforms and penetrate network defenses.

How Does a Botnet Attack Work?

A hacker or gang of cyber criminals typically seizes control of a network of malware-infected computers. These devices are then remotely controlled to simultaneously carry out a synchronized attack, such as the following.

• DDoS Attacks: A Distributed Denial of Service involves a cybercriminal releasing an avalanche of requests that are designed to cripple a network. By effectively incapacitating a platform, legitimate users are boxed out. Online thieves can then have their way with a company’s internet presence, pilfering off digital assets, planting malware or orchestrating a ransomware takeover. The key to a DDoS attack is the ability of botnets to overwhelm a network’s resources and ability to cope.
• Phishing Schemes: Hackers have adopted botnets to perform mass spam operations. Crafting a persuasive narrative and loading emails with malware, botnets handle the proliferation of tens of millions of electronic messages. The use of botnets to spread malicious applications gives hackers better odds that someone will make a mistake by downloading a file or clicking on a malware-laced link.
• Data Breaches: Sophisticated cyber criminals continue to refine the tools they use to steal from honest businesses. Botnets have been tailored to target valuable and sensitive information such as banking information, credit card numbers and high-value services. This approach dates back to at least the early 2000s when the Zeus Trojan was used for this purpose.
• Credential Stuffing: This strategy uses credentials stolen during a data breach to log into a seemingly unrelated area. For instance, a hotel chain data breach may yield guest or employee information. Hackers circle back and attempt to use that information to log into credit cards or bank accounts.

It’s also important to note that compromised computers are often used by thieves to monitor internal activity. Sometimes referred to as “zombie” devices, they report usernames, passwords and other activity back to the hacker or gang that controls them. For all intents and purposes, zombie computers are spies hiding in plain sight.

Who Is at Risk for Botnets?

It may not come as a surprise, but anyone who connects a device to the internet is at risk of a botnet takeover or targeted attack. In terms of hackers overriding your device, they would need to unveil and exploit some type of cyber security failing. Outdated software has been a boon for hackers. Less than adequate security measures, such as deficient firewalls and anti-virus software. Network users who do not craft strong passwords are also easy marks.

The rise in IoT (Internet of Things) devices has also cracked the vulnerability door. Many of the seemingly harmless kitschy devices, such as internet-connected watches and fitness monitors, are synced with laptops and work-related computers. These have become a type of backdoor for cyber criminals to use in a digital burglary.

Botnet Risk to Businesses

Losses due to botnet attacks are relatively consistent with other types of cyberattacks. The annual losses due to online thievery are expected to exceed $23 trillion by 2027, up from $8.4 trillion in 2022. Perhaps the most startling statistic is that companies take an average of 258 days to identify and contain a data breach.

Small and mid-sized businesses tend to rank among the most vulnerable to a botnet attack. That’s largely because these operations have limited resources to invest in protective measures. Large corporations, on the other hand, remain high-value targets due to their wealth of digital assets, consumer data, bank accounts and sensitive information. These are industries that are considered at heightened risk of botnet attacks.

• Ecommerce: These platforms are primary targets because they are a veritable treasure trove of data that can be used for credentials stuffing schemes.
• Finance: Banking and lending institutions represent a direct pipeline to the cash ultimately sought by online criminals.
• Healthcare: The wide range of IoT fitness and medical devices too often creates vulnerabilities for hackers to exploit.
• Critical Infrastructure: The federal government continues to battle advanced persistent threats from rogue nations attempting to exercise control over U.S. infrastructure. Water supplies and power grids rank among the most targeted.

Along with the financial losses that accompany botnet and other cyberattacks, organizations suffer in other ways. Operational disruptions impact employees and customers. But perhaps the most debilitating effect of a botnet attack stems from a tarnished reputation. Hackers will use your network and information pertaining to clients and vendors against them. It’s not uncommon for businesses to shutter due to a loss of trust and an unwillingness of others to share information.

How Businesses Can Prevent Botnet Attacks

Knowing how to prevent botnet attacks provides organizations with a pathway to deterrence. Given the advanced nature and sometimes overwhelming force used by botnet herders, it’s crucial to enlist the support of a cyber security firm that stays abreast of the latest ploys used by hackers. These are ways to improve your network defenses and prevent botnet attacks.

Strengthen Network Security

As is the case with any preventative action, businesses are tasked with ensuring their networks are foundationally secure. This generally means using enterprise-grade firewalls, anti-virus software, secure routers, VPNs and intrusion detection methods such as ongoing monitoring, AI and machine learning tools. It’s also imperative that companies implement zero-trust architecture for internal and external access. This protection segregates data, limiting access to vital information and minimizing the damage of a botnet attack.

Regular Updates and Patching

Cyber criminals need some type of vulnerability to turn your cache of computers into zombies. Outdated and unpatched software, as well as firmware associated with IoT devices, put entire networks at risk. Making regular software updates and purging outdated applications as part of the cyber hygiene policy closes unnecessary security cracks.

Secure IoT Devices

It may be prudent to isolate a variety of IoT devices from devices that can log into your network. These products may not possess the level of security needed to repel threat actors. Whether they are medical devices or plant sensors, it’s important to consider ways to defend and separate them from critical network infrastructure.

Endpoint Security Solutions

Hackers who want to deploy botnet armies need a way into your network and endpoint devices have proven to be a liability to many companies. Employees too often commingle personal platforms, applications and even engage in social media surfing on endpoint devices they use for work. The use of advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect and block threats is critical.

Multi-Factor Authentication: One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent network intrusions, multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires employees to enter their username, password and field a security code from another device. Given that hackers cannot take physical possession of a cell phone or tablet, MFA serves as an effective measure.

Employee Awareness and Training

Human error continues to be the single greatest danger to business networks, and hackers know it. That’s why they use botnets to send out millions of phishing emails. The best way to minimize the danger of an otherwise valued employee clicking on a malicious link or downloading a malware-laced file is to educate them. Integrating cyber security awareness training into the workforce mitigates risk and builds a security-conscious culture.

Monitor and Analyze Traffic

Botnet activity can be so subtle that daily computer users may not notice a difference. Organizations widely benefit from implementing network traffic monitoring tools to detect unusual patterns indicative of botnets. The use of AI and machine learning also ferret out other adversarial activities.

Engage Cybersecurity Providers

Partnering with a managed security service provider (MSSP) for botnet detection and mitigation is a tried-and-true solution. Third-party firms specialize in cyber security, making the relationship scalable and beneficial. When you work with an MSSP to develop a comprehensive cyber security policy and implement it.

What to Do If Your Organization is Targeted

If you suspect the presence of botnets in your device or network, it’s essential to take swift and decisive action. Start by disconnecting any potentially infested device or system from others and the internet. Promptly alert a security professional, who will then engage appropriate incident response teams to contain any damage and prevent the spread of malware.

Although it can be a difficult pill to swallow, a member of the leadership team or cyber security chief will need to contact key stakeholders about the incident. Your cyber security professionals can determine and deal with any regulatory compliance issues. Some of the long-term measures that may be needed include conducting a forensic assessment to understand how the breach occurred. It’s usually prudent to create a post-mortem report that provides details about exploited vulnerabilities and forward-facing measures to cure them.

It’s safe to say the rise of botnet attacks will continue until cyber security professionals and industry leaders take proactive measures to render them ineffective. That’s largely because hackers seek the path of least resistance when stealing digital assets.

Implement a Botnet Attack Deterrent Strategy with the Help of Red River

At Red River, we work with organizations and agencies to craft cybersecurity solutions that detect, deter and expel threat actors. If you are interested in taking your data security to the next level, contact us today. Let’s get the process started.