Botnets: the evolution and the possible solution

Abstract

There are many different services available on the Web. One thing is common for all of them - security. As the existing services evolved and new ones developed, so did the security threats - and so the first botnets were created. These networks of malware - infected machines are capable of performing various tasks, and in the same time, they allow their authors to make profit from those activities. This paper covers the botnet basics - what they are and how they work. It also covers several botnets that were active or are still active, focusing on the new features these botnets introduced. It also discusses the possible next steps in the evolution of botnets. Finally, this paper presents an idea for one more tool which can be used for defense against this threat - tool based on social networking.