14 DAY TRIAL // Following the takedown of over 1,400 Citadel-powered botnets in collaboration with Microsoft and several other organizations, the FBI has published a short advisory to educate Internet users on what botnets are and the threats they pose.
The FBI warns that the use of botnets is on the rise, botnet attacks being responsible for causing losses of millions of dollars to individuals and businesses.
Internauts are warned that their computers could become part of a botnet at any time because cybercriminals can use several tricks to plant malware on their computers.
“For example, you might get an unsolicited e-mail promoting a dating website or a work-at-home arrangement or an e-mail that appears to come from your bank containing a seemingly harmless link. You could be sent a link by a friend asking you to view a great video (which was actually sent because the friend’s computer is already infected),” the agency warns.
“You could see a link on a webpage that seems to be soliciting donations for a recent tragedy. And you might even visit a fraudulent website—or a legitimate one that’s been compromised—and download video, pictures, or a document containing malicious code.”
Users who believe their computers are infected with malware and part of a botnet can file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) or contact the cyber task force at their local FBI office.