Industry News Home More stories like this... RSS Feed

Online security experts say botnets on the increase

A group of volunteer online security professionals from around the world are reportedly using a "neighbourhood watch" approach to counter the ever growing online threats coming from zombie computers, reports say.

Data from the group known as the Shadowserver Foundation shows that zombie computers, which are machines programmed to automatically spread malware have doubled, reports Bloomberg.

According to the foundation, such computers, which are normally linked to form botnet armies, have increased their numbers two-fold this month and now number in excess of 300,000 compared to 150,000 last year.

An investigation conducted into the extent of botnets by the Federal Bureau of Investigation a year ago revealed that there were more than one million infected computers and millions worth of economic losses.

The volunteers, who spend between five and 40 hours a week tracking internet security threats, use a "honey pot" method, which involves setting up computers specifically for attracting online threats.

Powerful protection against malicious virus infections. Visit www.pctools.com to upgrade your protection