Among the many cybersecurity threats plaguing the internet, Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks stand out as some of the most disruptive and difficult to mitigate. These attacks overwhelm websites, servers, and online services with massive amounts of malicious traffic, rendering them slow or completely inaccessible. The rise of botnets—networks of compromised devices controlled by attackers—has made these attacks even more potent and widespread.
The frequency and scale of DDoS attacks continue to grow year after year. Notably, 2020 saw an alarming surge due to the global shift to remote work, e-commerce, and online services. This left businesses scrambling to defend against an increasing number of automated bot attacks, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and operational downtime.
How Botnets Enable DDoS and Other Cyber Threats
A botnet is a network of compromised devices—PCs, servers, IoT gadgets, and even smartphones—that have been infected with malware and are remotely controlled by a hacker, often without the owner’s knowledge. These zombie devices can be used for:
- DDoS Attacks: Overloading a target with traffic to take it offline.
- Credential Stuffing: Using stolen login credentials to gain unauthorized access to accounts.
- Data Theft: Extracting sensitive information from targeted systems.
- Web Scraping: Automatically collecting data from websites for competitive or malicious purposes.
- Ticket Scalping & Fake Transactions: Automating the purchase of limited-edition products or concert tickets.
With botnets evolving in complexity, mitigating their impact requires a proactive security approach.
Best way to prevent or remediate a botnet
By implementing the right security measures, businesses can significantly reduce the risk of downtime, financial loss, and data breaches caused by botnets and DDoS attacks.
Below you will find the best practices to detect, prevent and remediate a botnet. This list isn’t exhaustive, but it highlights key best practices to enhance security.
Keep systems up to date. Botnets exploit vulnerabilities, including unpatched weaknesses in connected devices. Ensure all systems receive timely antivirus updates, security patches, and software upgrades. Even older or rarely used devices should remain updated to minimize risks.
Educate users on cybersecurity. Employees and network users should be trained to recognize and avoid threats like phishing, spam, and malicious links. A single misstep, such as clicking on a harmful link, can compromise the entire network.
Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Strengthen security by replacing password-only logins with more secure authentication methods that comply with Fast Identity Online (FIDO) standards:
- FIDO2: Uses biometric authentication (fingerprint or facial recognition) or a FIDO Security Key.
- Universal Authentication Framework (UAF): Relies on device-specific biometric authentication.
- Universal Second Factor (U2F): Requires a physical USB key for authentication.
Monitor network traffic. Keeping track of traffic flow and volume can help detect potential threats like data breaches or DDoS attacks before they escalate. Tools such as PingOne Risk and PingIntelligence for APIs can assist with real-time monitoring.
Move toward a passwordless environment. Security teams should evaluate the balance between usability and security. Eliminating passwords can improve the user experience while maintaining strong authentication.
Adopt a zero-trust model. Unlike traditional perimeter-based security (“trust but verify”), zero trust assumes that threats already exist within the network. This approach continuously verifies the trustworthiness of users, devices, and applications, following the principle of “never trust, always verify.”
What are the symptoms of a botnet?
A botnet infection can be particularly dangerous because its symptoms are often subtle and easily mistaken for other issues, such as malware, hardware malfunctions, or software glitches.
- Unusual system activity: Your processor, hard drive, or fans are working overtime without any apparent reason.
- Sluggish internet performance: Your internet connection is noticeably slow, and your router seems highly active despite no ongoing downloads, uploads, or updates.
- Delayed shutdowns and reboots: If your computer is part of a botnet, malicious processes running in the background may cause slow shutdowns.
- Frequent application crashes: Programs that once ran smoothly are now experiencing errors or instability.
- High RAM usage: A botnet infection may consume system memory. Check for any unknown applications using an excessive amount of RAM.
- Suspicious emails: Contacts report receiving spam or malicious emails from your account.
- Risky security practices: If you’ve neglected security patches, clicked on unsafe links, downloaded unverified software, or visited compromised websites, your system could be at risk.
Recognizing these symptoms early can help prevent further damage. Regular security updates, malware scans, and cautious online behavior are key to protecting your system from botnet infections.
What are the techniques of bot mitigation?
Bot Manager leverages advanced AI and machine learning models to identify and block malicious bots from their very first interaction. By analyzing behavioral patterns and request characteristics, it can distinguish between legitimate users and automated threats with high accuracy.
Key detection techniques include:
- User Behavior Analysis: Tracks mouse movements, keystrokes, and navigation patterns to differentiate real users from bots.
- Automated Browser Detection: Identifies headless browsers and automation frameworks commonly used by attackers.
- High Request Rate Monitoring: Flags abnormal traffic spikes and excessive request volumes that indicate bot activity.
- HTTP Anomaly Detection: Analyzes HTTP headers, payload structures, and protocol inconsistencies to detect automated scripts.
- Browser Fingerprinting: Collects unique attributes like screen resolution, installed plugins, and rendering engine to detect spoofed or fake browsers.
By combining these techniques, Bot Manager provides real-time protection against automated threats such as credential stuffing, web scraping, and DDoS attacks—ensuring a safer and more efficient online experience.
Last Words
Preventing and mitigating botnet infections requires a proactive security approach that combines strong cybersecurity practices and continuous monitoring. To prevent botnet attacks, keep all systems updated, enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA), educate users on phishing risks, and implement a zero-trust security model.
If a botnet infection is detected, take immediate action by isolating compromised devices, running malware scans, resetting credentials, and blocking malicious IPs. Strengthening endpoint security and applying network segmentation can further minimize the risk of reinfection. By staying vigilant and leveraging the right security tools, organizations can reduce the impact of botnets and protect their critical assets.
