Software Bots:

Clear and Present Danger

Taken from: PC World. (2008, May). Software Bots. 36-37.

Bots can also be called spy-ware, malware, worms etc...

They're small programs originally conceived to be helpful but like other aspects of Internet technology, they've become better known for more sinister uses.
“Bots” are software robots that automate tasks on a computer. Hundreds of thousands of PC users or maybe millions, depending on which estimate you're relying on have unknowingly been infected by such code.

Once infected, they're invisibly linked to “botnets” that typically are mobilized to send out email spam, participate in Denial of Service attacks against web servers, or even harvest an individual user's personal information like credit card numbers and account passwords.

For example, last year the Storm worm consisted of possibly millions of bots that were used for spam, pump and dump schemes, and other illegal activities.

“Modern-day bots have combined remote access tools or trojans with automation.” says Randy Abrams, Director of Technical Education with ESET. “So what you have is a program capable of doing anything you can do on your computer, including going to websites, copying and pasting text that you type into something, sending email and more.”

With a botnet, says Abrams, “an attacker can control hundreds of thousands of computers through the use of these bots.”

Computers can be infected in a variety of ways, says Abrams. A common ploy is a fake electronic greeting card that prompts users to click on a hyperlink and unknowingly execute the action to deploy a bot on their system. Bots can be picked up in “drive-by downloads” when a user visits a website that has been compromised or with viruses.

Most often these bots are “rented out” to generate millions of spam messages, such as hawking the stock of obscure companies in hopes of pumping up the selling price. Other tactics include mobilizing thousands of computers in a Denial of Service assault aimed at swamping a web server in hopes of extorting money from the website owner.

Without the appropriate tools to detect bots, users may not know they're infected. Perhaps one of the “good guys” who track botnets will find your credit card on server where a bot has stored it and will send you a notification. More likely is that you'll notice your PC is running sluggishly. In some cases, Internet Services Providers will detect unusual traffic generated by bots and track it back to an individual's computer.

“It's important to have high-quality security software that can scan for these programs and eradicate them,” says Abrams. Strong antivirus software can prevent infections, and firewalls can block unauthorized outbound communications or alert the user of the activity.