What is a bot network?

A bot network, better known as a botnet, is a cluster of internet-connected devices secretly compromised and controlled by cybercriminals who use them to execute large-scale attacks, steal data, and manipulate digital systems.

Some of the fundamental aspects of a botnet include: 

• Infection vectors: Cybercriminals use sophisticated techniques to infiltrate and control electronic devices. These methods include social engineering tactics, like tricking individuals into volunteering sensitive information or opening phishing links. Other strategies exploit software vulnerabilities or use infected websites to initiate automatic malware downloads. Devices can also become compromised through malicious emails, text messages, ads, or websites. 

• Command and control infrastructure: Hackers set up secret communication channels using tools like IRC, peer-to-peer networks, HTTPS, and encrypted links. The attackers use the secret channels to send quiet commands to the hacked computers, making the devices do whatever they want.

• Computational diversity: Botnets consist of many devices with varying abilities to process information. This range of hardware enables botnets to carry out adaptive attacks that evolve over time, allowing them to exploit various weaknesses and making them difficult to defend against. 

How bot network attacks work 

Botnet attacks are highly complex and require a lot of skill to pull off, and a hacker must take a systematic approach to succeed at using botnets. Here's a simplified view of how bot network attacks work:

• Initial compromise: Hackers infiltrate a device by targeting the weak points in its software. By installing malware, the hackers gain remote access to take over and control that device. 

• Lateral movement: The infected device then attempts to spread the infection and compromise other devices in its network. With each new device infection, the botnet grows in scale and power. The wider the botnet gets in the system, the harder it becomes to take down.

• Resource allocation: With the botnet embedded, the hacker distributes functions to the devices. Each infected device plays its role in the attack. By coordinating roles, the attacker makes the network much more effective.

• Modular malware: Criminals develop flexible, adaptable frameworks that can dynamically update to address changing security needs.

• Stealth mechanisms: To prevent detection, attackers run special programs such as rootkits which can compromise systems at the kernel level. This approach hides malicious files and processes from antivirus programs and security software, allowing the botnet to survive for long periods. 

• Communication obfuscation: The hacker cloaks signals by using strategies like advanced encryption, domain generation algorithms, and multiprotocol communication strategies. Disguising data transmissions in this manner helps evade traditional detection mechanisms and hide the source of the attack.

• Adaptive control: As the attack continues, the mastermind creates self-regulation measures for the botnet. These measures allow the botnet to reconfigure quickly whenever there is a disruption.

Bot network vs. credential stuffing vs. brute force 

Being familiar with the differences between common cyberthreats such as bot network attacks, credential stuffing, and brute force hacking is integral to building effective defenses. Poor understanding of each of these methods can result in weak protections, leaving sensitive user data at risk. 

Here's how these attack types differ:

8 ways to defend your business against bot networks

Protecting your online business presence against botnets requires a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Implementing multi-layered, adaptive defenses is essential to combat threats that are constantly being updated, so your chosen security tools must be able to continuously learn and adapt to keep ahead of the latest attack trends. 

Here are some ways you can defend against botnets:

1. Threat detection

Deploy machine learning software to catch unusual activity that people might not see, by looking for subtle warning signals that a botnet might be accessing your systems without approval. Recognizing these threats early lets you stop attacks before they can cause harm.

2. Network protection

Configure your network so that the bots can't spread easily if one system gets attacked. This way, even if bots break into one machine, they stay confined. Good network design limits automated attacks to small parts of your infrastructure.

3. Vulnerability management

Hackers often exploit known program weaknesses to gain access. To avoid this, businesses should check all systems for vulnerabilities and install bot management patches as soon as possible. 

4. Behavioral analysis

Use advanced tools to monitor user and system activity, looking for unusual behavior that could indicate botnet activity. Monitoring suspicious login attempts, unexpected downloads, or irregular patterns early can help you effectively respond to automated attacks.

5. Authentication enhancement

Bots often target systems by using stolen login credentials. Businesses can implement smarter authentication methods that evaluate each login attempt based on context, such as location and behavior patterns. This context-aware approach makes it far more difficult for bots to exploit stolen usernames and passwords.

6. Threat intelligence

Some services gather data about the latest botnet strategies and malware used to target business computers. By following threat intelligence platforms, you can regularly update protection to combat the most current botnet strategies. 

7. Incident response

Using high-tech response systems can help contain attacks promptly using machine learning frameworks. These platforms can analyze and isolate affected parts quickly, limiting the impact of botnet infiltration.  

8. Edge security

Deploy next-generation web application firewalls with deep packet inspection capabilities and other special tools to assess network traffic at your network edges and block botnet attacks. Strong edge security provides extra defense against automated threats on networks.

Use Fastly solutions for the strongest botnet defense

Defending against highly adaptive bot networks calls for the most modern solutions. Companies must keep updating their defenses, leverage the latest tools, and apply strategic thinking to frustrate both botnet infiltration and attacks. 

Fastly's Bot Management solution provides strong, smart security that systematically identifies and neutralizes botnets.

Some of the benefits of Fastly's bot management tool include: 

• Botnet disruption at the edge: The system blocks harmful bot traffic before it enters your servers, protecting performance and security.

• Dynamic threat adaptation: Fastly auto-adjusts countermeasures based on evolving botnet tactics to keep security strong and up to date.

• Comprehensive traffic analysis: The software monitors and labels all incoming network traffic. This approach helps spot patterns relating to botnet activity early. 

• Low latency protection: By operating at the network edge, the bot management system maintains low latency for legal users while stopping threats.

• Advanced multi-layer defenses: Fastly's multiple defensive layers work together against botnets. The first layer is swarm detection, followed by rate-limiting and various challenge mechanisms.

• Customizable security rules: With Fastly, you can customize filtering rules to precisely meet your protection needs. 

• Detailed insights and reporting: The system provides detailed reports that track botnet attacks over time. By showing new bot behaviors, reports enable more effective defense.

Are you struggling to secure your business against bot network attacks? Request a demo with Fastly today.