--- title: Botnet description: "### Introduction Cybercriminals often use networks of infected devices to launch attacks at scale. These networks are called **botnets**, and they remain among the most common and dangerous threats online. According to [CISA](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/understanding-botnets), botnets can disrupt services, steal data, and…" url: "https://xygeni.io/sscs-glossary/botnet/" updated: "2025-08-28" category: Software Supply Chain Security --- # Botnet ### Introduction Cybercriminals often use networks of infected devices to launch attacks at scale. These networks are called **botnets**, and they remain among the most common and dangerous threats online. According to [CISA](https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/understanding-botnets), botnets can disrupt services, steal data, and spread malware worldwide. Understanding **what is a botnet** is essential for developers and security teams because these attacks can cause severe damage. Consequently, learning how **botnets** operate helps you build defenses before they strike. Definition: ## **What Is a Botnet?** A botnet is a group of devices—computers, servers, IoT gadgets, or even mobile phones, that have been infected with malware and are controlled by a remote attacker. Simply put, what is a botnet? It is a collection of “bots” working together under the command of a hacker, usually without the device owners’ knowledge. Botnets can be small with just a few hundred machines, or massive, including millions of compromised systems worldwide. ### What Is a Botnet in Cyber Security? In cyber security, a **botnet** acts both as an attack tool and as a persistent threat. Unlike a single piece of malware, these networks connect thousands or even millions of devices to launch coordinated campaigns. - **Scale:** Attackers can grow them to a global size, gaining overwhelming power. - **Stealth:** They hide processes in the background, which makes detection difficult. - **Flexibility:** Criminals update the malware remotely to trigger new attacks. This type of thread is more than a cluster of infected machines. A botnet functions as an infrastructure that criminals rent, sell, and exploit to steal data, disrupt services, or deliver malware.that criminals rent, sell, and use for operations like data theft, denial-of-service, or malware delivery. ## What Is a Botnet Attack? A **botnet attack** occurs when an attacker activates the infected devices in the network to carry out malicious actions. For example, attackers may: - **Launch DDoS campaigns** that flood websites or APIs with massive traffic. - **Spread new malware** to other systems to expand control. - **Steal sensitive data** such as credentials, banking details, or API keys. - **Send spam or fake traffic** to disrupt online services. In short, attackers rely on automation and scale. By combining thousands of compromised machines, they turn a botnet attack into a powerful and coordinated weapon. ## Key Characteristics of Botnets Several traits make **botnets** especially dangerous: **Stealth and persistence** – These threats often hide in background processes and update themselves to stay active. **Data theft** – Infected devices capture[sensitive information](https://xygeni.io/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-secret-leakage/) like logins and financial records. **Command and Control (C2)** – Attackers direct the network through a central server or peer-to-peer system. **Automation at scale** – They run repetitive tasks such as scanning for vulnerabilities or delivering malware to thousands of devices at once. **DDoS power** – Large networks overwhelm targets with traffic, causing downtime and service disruption. ### How to Prevent Botnet Attacks Preventing **these type of attacks** requires both proactive defenses and continuous monitoring. Developers and security teams should: - **Patch and update systems** regularly to close vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them. - **Scan dependencies and open-source packages** to block hidden malware at the supply chain level. - **Use strong authentication** so attackers cannot abuse stolen credentials. - **Monitor traffic and anomalies** such as unusual spikes or unauthorized processes, which often reveal a botnet infection. ### How Xygeni Helps Xygeni strengthens defenses against **botnet attacks** by [securing the software supply chain](https://xygeni.io/blog/software-supply-chain-security-threats-in-the-source-stage/), where malicious code often enters. For example, it scans code, containers, and dependencies for malware that could compromise applications. In addition, its anomaly detection highlights suspicious behavior in CI/CD pipelines, such as traffic surges, unauthorized processes, or tampered artifacts. As a result, developers can act early and prevent their systems from joining a botnet or becoming a target. [![botnet - what is a botnet botnets](https://xygeni.io/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/botnet.jpg)](https://xygeni.io/cicd-security/)