Malware Introduction — What Are Bots?

In today’s digital age, it has become more important to be aware of the dangers lurking in the online world. Malware is one such danger that can cause significant damage to your computer, your personal data, and your online identity. Malware comes in various forms; one of the most prevalent is bots.

The dangers of bots, or malicious bots, are prevalent across the online world. As more companies adopt cloud services solutions, like Office 365, it becomes necessary to protect your online environment by implementing Office 365 total protection and specialized solutions for other cloud service providers.

With that said, bots can inflict damages across your online infrastructure; they’re not solely exclusive to cloud services. Therefore, we must look at bots in more detail to get the full picture and understanding of how they compromise computers, systems, and data.

This article will do just that. In this article, we will introduce what bots are, their examples, and why they can be dangerous. Let’s begin.

What Are Bots?

Bots, short for internet robots, are software applications that are designed to automate specific tasks. These tasks can range from the harmless, such as automated customer service chats, to the malicious, such as spreading malware, phishing attacks, and carrying out DDoS attacks. Bots can operate autonomously or can be remotely controlled by a hacker.

Other common names for bots include malicious bots, malware bots, web bots, bad bots, etc. These terms are solely exclusive to bots used for nefarious tasks. If you’re unfamiliar with bots, you’re probably surprised to find out that they can perform certain tasks much faster than a human. It is estimated that bots are so prevalent across the online world that nearly 50% of all online web traffic are bots.

Let’s look at some examples of bots in hopes of explaining the many forms they come across.

Examples Of Bots

There are several types of bots, and they vary in their functions and purposes. Some bots are exclusively used for malicious purposes, while others perform online tasks. Here are a few examples of bots that you should be aware of:

Web Crawlers

Web crawlers are bots used by search engines to crawl websites and index their content. Search engines use bots to improve search results by crawling websites and giving search engines the necessary data to determine the SERP place for websites that rank for corresponding keywords.

Also known as spider bots, these bots aren’t malicious and are instrumental in the proper search functionality of search engines.

Chatbots

Chatbots are yet another form of non-malicious bots companies use to provide customer service through automated chat systems. These types of bots are common and responsible for providing companies with instant messaging capabilities.

Social Media Bots

Social media bots automate activities on social media platforms, such as liking, commenting, and following other users. While not necessarily malicious, they are used for manipulative purposes.

Malware bots

The first example of a malicious bot, malware bots are exclusively used by hackers to perform certain tasks. These include but are not limited to, spreading malware, stealing data, and carrying out cyber attacks.

Malware bots come in several forms, including malicious chatterbots, spambots, DDoS bots, and click bots. What makes malware bots so dangerous is the ability to self-propagate. This is why many cybersecurity experts label malware bots as self-propagating malware.

Computers infected with malware bots can be used to bot attacks and DDoS attacks. The more computers they infect, the larger the botnet. A botnet, or bot network, is a computer collection that performs malicious bot activity.

To stop malicious bots or malicious bot traffic, users must utilize anti-malware techniques. Let’s learn more about malware bot types to get the full scope of their capabilities.

• Malicious Chatterbots

These bots are used to spread malware, spam, and advertising across messaging boards, forums, websites, etc. More advanced types of malicious chatterbots can even trick people into sharing sensitive data, such as credit card information and login credentials.

• Spambots

Spambots infect computers to send spam messages.

• DoS Bots

DoS bots form botnets and DoS attacks. Botnets can perform a wide range of malicious tasks, including overload websites with traffic, taking down online platforms and websites, spreading spam and malware, and even identity theft. Cybercriminals rely heavily on botnets to compromise additional victims.

• Click Bots

Finally, click bots are used to click on advertisements, buttons, online polls, and drive fake website traffic.

Why Are Bots Dangerous?

While some bots are harmless, others can be extremely dangerous. Malware bots, for example, can infect your computer with malware, steal your personal data, install additional malware, and even take control of compromised computers. Additionally, bots can be used for large-scale attacks, such as DDoS attacks, which can take down entire websites and cause significant damage.

Bots can also be used for phishing attacks, where they can send emails or messages to trick you into giving away your sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card details, and other personal information. To stop bots on an infected computer, users must utilize antivirus software or total protection tools if the goal is to protect their online infrastructure.

Conclusion

Bots are a prevalent form of malware that can cause significant harm if left unchecked. While some bots are harmless, others can be extremely dangerous and can lead to the compromise of your personal data and online identity.

As such, it is essential to stay vigilant and take steps to protect your computer and personal information from the dangers of bots and other malware. Some of the best ways to do this include keeping your software up to date, using a reliable antivirus program, and being cautious about the messages and links you click on online.