The Mirai Botnet, famous for massive DDoS attacks, used SYN flood techniques to hack 600,000 IoT devices. Targets like KrebsOnSecurity, Lonestar cell, and Dyn. The impact cascaded across key service providers that relied on Dyn’s services, affecting entities such as Sony Playstation servers, Amazon, GitHub, Netflix, PayPal, Reddit, and Twitter.

A botnet is a network of infected devices known as bots, which are controlled by a single attacking party known as a bot herder. Botnets are made up of Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as computers, mobile devices, network routers and smart TVs. Botnets are used to carry out time-consuming cyber activities such as managing online chatrooms or tracking internal data. However, cybercriminals can use botnets for malicious purposes such as launching large-scale cyber attacks and stealing sensitive data.

In addition to the overt signs of cyber threats we've become conditioned to recognize, like ransomware emails and strange login requests, malicious actors are now utilizing another way to achieve their nefarious purposes — by using your everyday devices. These hidden dangers are known as botnets. Unbeknownst to most, our everyday devices, from toasters to smart fridges, can unwittingly be enlisted as footsoldiers in a digital army with the potential to bring down even corporate giants.

If your device suddenly behaves like a re-animated zombie, you might be under a Botnet attack. Also known as a zombie army, these attacks involve hijacking internet-connected devices infected with malware, controlled remotely by a single hacker. The scale of these attacks is immense, as demonstrated by a cyber assault that exploited 1.5 million connected cameras to overwhelm and take down a journalist’s website.

Are you an eCommerce Manager who keeps being asked about bot visitors by security and fraud teams? You’re not alone, as the issue of bot attacks such as scalping, scraping and account takeover cross multiple business functions – everyone has their role in stopping bad bots. It’s time to up your bot knowledge and do your part in mitigating these attacks. Here’s what you need to know.

It's 8.58am, the tickets to your favorite band's latest tour are about to go on sale and you're poised, credit card in hand, ready to secure the hottest tickets in town. Only, once you make it to the front of the virtual queue, the tickets have all been snapped up by scalpers. Or you're faced with the dreaded message, "server busy, try again later". If you think this is unfair, you’re not alone.

Scalpers aren’t just interested in snagging the final Yeezy drops, the newest Air Jordans or tickets to see Taylor Swift on tour. They’ve also been saying “Hey, Barbie” to the latest Mattel collaboration with rock icon and Barbie enthusiast Stevie Nicks. Evidence gathered by Netacea suggests that scalper bots were involved when pre-orders for the limited-edition Stevie Nicks Barbie, unveiled by the Fleetwood Mac legend during a recent concert, sold out almost immediately.

A panel of cybersecurity experts from BT, Cranfield University and Netacea recently came together to discuss the accumulating cost businesses face due to malicious automation. The webinar is now available to watch on demand (scroll to the bottom of this page or click here to watch it in full). You’ll hear our specialist panel analyze results from this year’s extensive survey into what bot attacks cost enterprise businesses.

Security professionals would be considered foolish if they didn’t have a plan to mitigate a ransomware attack, especially for businesses generating hundreds of millions, if not billions, in turnover. And yet, a threat type that isn’t given nearly the same level of concern by the top brass – malicious automation carried out by bad bots – is costing these companies just as much, if not more, every year.