Botnet hackers infecting your PC

What’s the threat?

Nearly seven million web-connected devices worldwide were absorbed into botnets in 2016, according to research by Symantec. A botnet is a network of ‘zombie’ devices infected by malware that hackers can control to perform criminal actions, including sending spam and swamping websites with DDOS attacks. The device continues to work, albeit more slowly, so the victim often doesn’t realise they’ve been hacked.

Symantec, which makes Norton antivirus, said the UK is the 11th worst affected country in Europe (Russia tops the table). Unsurprisingly, London is the UK city with the most botnets – around 35 per cent of the total. Manchester and Sheffield are in the top 10, but the remaining seven are relatively small towns, including Slough, Maidstone, Hatfield and Maidenhead (see screenshot, and visit www.snipca. com/25803 for more information).

Increasingly, hackers are targeting devices other than computers, such as webcams, routers, digital video recorders and even baby monitors. Many of these weren’t built with the same security defences that protect computers – an alarming oversight now that many of them connect to the internet.

How can you stay safe?

Botnets spread like most malware, by tricking you into clicking links in emails that download viruses. As always, be vigilant if you receive unexpected messages.

The clearest sign that your computer has become part of a botnet is that it will start to run slowly for no obvious reason, even when you’re not using software. Also look out for emails in your ‘sent’ folder that you didn’t send, and a sudden loss of hard-drive space. To check, scan your PC with your antivirus. You should also look for suspicious processes by opening Task Manager in Windows.

To keep other devices safe – webcams, routers and so on – change their default password, and always install firmware updates.