Co-Managed IT Services handles a wide variety of technical issues that concerns cyber security, the biggest problem in the internet world is botnets. They are not malware per se, but they started as one. Botnets are defined as a collection of computers that have become slaves to the black hat hackers. They are most commonly referred to as computer zombies because they have no functionality at all except to follow their masters, who are the cyber criminals controlling the computers.
Botnets are actually designed for a purpose, though they exist now for the satisfaction of the black hat hackers and not for the computer owners anymore. The botnets are utilized as a means to deny service to a website or what is commonly called a denial of service or DDoS. The information technology professional handling a Co-Managed IT Services can better explain this situation to you and your employees so you can better get a grasp of what you are facing if your computers in the company become slaves to the black hat hackers. Botnets are also used for bitcoin mining, spreading email spam, stealing data such as company data and customer records, and click fraud. More importantly, the botnets are used to steal financial information from end-users, company employees, and the victim company itself. Cybercriminals use financial information to gain more money by swiping credit card information and using the personal data of their victims for identity theft. Indeed, there is no limit to what cybercriminals can do in the name of money. That is why your company badly needs a Co-Managed IT Services. By using the botnets to do their bidding, the cyber hackers are getting richer, and some may say that they have lost all signs of humanity due to their chosen evil deeds. However, if your company hires the best IT support company to partner up with your in-house IT department to beat the black hat hackers, then there is a big chance that your computers will not fall victim to botnets.
How Do Botnets Help Cyber Hackers Make Money?
The fact of the matter is that many of the botnets are actually designed for hire. This means that if a specific individual or group of people have more than enough bitcoins and they have the means to find the black hat hackers holding the botnets, then those greedy people with bitcoins can hire the botnets to do their bidding. The botnets have different goals, and they can do anything that they are programmed to do, so they are great for hire. Many times though, the botnets are used to launch a ransomware cyberattack on the targeted company or individual, and other times they are used to steal the personal data and credit card information of the target victims.
What Computers Are Part Of Botnets?
As mentioned, botnets are a collection of computers that have become a zombie and are controlled by black hat hackers. These computers are not necessarily part of one company only. It could be that one or two or more computers are from a particular organization, the others are from a school, more are from another company, and others could be from a household. The ITs working on Co-Managed IT Services can certainly determine if your company computers are part of the botnets, but they would need to check every nook and cranny of your devices to find proof. And the thing is, it is hard to find out if a computer is part of the botnets. The machines still function the same way, though some reported their computers to be slower in performance than before the infection started. Additionally, you need to know that cybercriminals are proud of their botnets. The more computers they have turned into a zombie, the more excellent their skills in hacking is. And sometimes, the cybercriminals even collect botnets in order to show off their prowess in hacking more than they need to earn money in an evil way.
How To Get Out Of The Botnets
If the information technology professionals in the Co-Managed IT Services find out that your computers are part of botnets, then they would need to do whatever they can be using their IT skills and talents to get your company computers out from the collection and cut off the link between the computers and the cybercriminals.
The ITs will scan all your company computers using malware detection software that is highly trusted in the market. Keep in mind that all software programs like this can detect all kinds of viruses since there are indeed over 50,000 viruses in the internet world. That is why it is of great importance to choose the best malware detection software that has been tested and proven to work correctly and securely. Trust that the information technology professionals in a Co-Managed IT Service know what they are doing, and they should be able to recommend a brand and model to you. However, just to be absolutely sure, you can use multiple types of malware detection software on all of your computers. Doing so will cost more expensive for your business, but this route will keep your mind at ease. And suppose there are indeed botnets inside your offices. In that case, the ITs can cut off the connection, save whatever can be saved from the computers, and then it is ideal to finally retire the infected computers since you cannot trust that they will not get infected again. It is indeed better to be extra safe and careful than be sorry later on. And so, no matter how many computers have been controlled by the black hat hacker, replace them immediately and buy new ones. Nothing to worry about, since your company can surely recover your losses very soon. The most crucial thing is to get rid of the infected computers to ensure that there are no weak computers anymore in your company. And so have your ITs deal with them through a Co-Managed IT Services.
