A zombie computer is a computer that has been hacked and is controlled remotely by a third party. The hacker can access data, install tools to record keystrokes and use the computer for illegal activities. Rootkits are used to establish covert control over a remote computer. To minimize the risk of being targeted, keep anti-spyware and antivirus software up-to-date, use a firewall, avoid opening spam, and do not install programs from untrusted sources.
A zombie computer, or “drone,” is a computer that has been secretly compromised by hacking tools that allow a third party to control the computer and its resources remotely. When the zombie computer connects to the Internet, the remote hacker can surreptitiously make contact with the computer to extract data from it or use it for any number of purposes. Communication between the hacker and the computer travels through the back channels of the targeted system, keeping these processes hidden from the owner.
Hacking tools used to establish covert control over a remote computer are referred to as rootkits. A rootkit is not considered malware, as there are legitimate uses for rootkits on the net. However, rootkits can also be used to target random computers on the Internet. Once a computer detects a rootkit, it becomes an “unwitting accomplice” of the hacker, blindly following instructions, leading to the name “zombie computer”.
A hacker has full access to data and resources on a zombie computer. The infiltrator can copy, infect, corrupt, or even erase your entire hard drive. He or she can also install tools that will report everything that is typed into the zombie computer, including usernames, passwords, and financial data such as credit card numbers and bank accounts. This private information can be used to commit fraud, identity theft or can be sold or traded with others.
Apart from the personal invasion of privacy and the inherent dangers it poses, the perpetrator can also use the zombie computer to engage in illegal online activities. A hacker who compromises many computers can combine them into a network of zombies, called a “botnet.” The hacker can control zombies by transmitting individual commands, negating the need to communicate with each target individually. The botnet becomes a kind of army to do the hacker’s bidding. Botnets are used to send spam, attack websites, perpetuate phishing scams, commit click fraud, and grow larger botnets by infecting new computers that are vulnerable to attack.
Unfortunately, the risk of your system falling victim to a zombie computer attack may be greater than you imagine. In highly publicized reports from 2005, a decommissioned botnet controlled by three young men in the Netherlands included 1.5 million zombie computers. In the US, teenagers called “script kiddies” are competitively building botnets to gain peer recognition, and in 2000, a 15-year-old Canadian boy used zombie drones to take down several large websites, causing $1.7 million in damages. dollars.
To minimize the growing threat of being assimilated to a drone:
Keep your anti-spyware and antivirus software up-to-date.
Usa un firewall.
Delete spam without opening it.
Avoid installing programs from untrusted sources.
Do not allow untrusted websites to install software.
Keep your operating system and web browser up to date with the latest hotfixes.
Use a good anti-rootkit program weekly to scan for rootkits.
Back up your system every week after a clean scan.
In many cases there is excellent free software available to help you with these tasks. By taking these precautions you will greatly reduce your chances of being targeted by a botnet or a zombie computer scan for new drones.
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