Zombie PCs nets

Date: April 06, 2007
Source: guardian.co.uk


Is your personal computer a member of an international crime syndicate? Before you laugh, consider this: computer security experts believe that at least 10% of home PCs have been recruited into robot networks, or "botnets," under the control of criminals. Botnets are assembled through the distribution of a computer virus over the internet. If the virus finds its way on to your PC - through a downloaded file, say, or a spam email - it secretly installs a few lines of software code on to your hard drive. The hidden program allows your machine to be manipulated by a distant computer.

It's long been possible, of course, to control networked PCs from other computers by using popular "remote access" programs like GoToMyPC or LapLink. The crooks who run botnets take this useful capability and twist it to their own nefarious purposes. They turn innocent PCs into remote-controlled zombies.
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