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Now What?
Steve Hogan
Just when I was becoming accustomed to using spyware removal tools and running the occasional Pitstop virus scan (few people keep their antivirus current these days), something new comes along.
Have you ever wondered why your machine seems like it's operating in mud or is just ignoring you? Well that's probably because it's operating just fine for someone else. Yep, we're talking Botnets. Botnets are using your CPU, draining your memory, just waiting to be told what to do by someone making money from your investment. You don't mind do you? You'll be able to get on that site just as soon as they're done. Besides, you've always wanted to be part of a large organization.
A quick skimming of "Botnets For Dummies" tells me that the problem is beyond what I'm capable of understanding. Absolutely huge networks of unprotected computers are contributing to a billion dollar industry run by organized crime rings around the world. Words like drone zombies, money mules, botnet herders, weigh on me with a nagging sense of doom. Now I realize how intricate and advanced the community is, how overwhelming it has become to those trying to keep it in check.
"Botnet" is slang for a collection of software applications or bots that run autonomously and automatically. They run groups of "zombie" computers controlled remotely by hackers. They can run differing types of bots. They're used for anything and everything illegal, including phishing, email scams, and even identity theft. It's estimated that 80% of all spam comes from bot armies. Trojan and key logger software are the types usually used for botnets. The possible schemes are limitied only by the imagination and skills of the botmaster.
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Ever hear of Denial of service attacks? I had but never really understood what it was about. Basically if a hacker has control of 100,000+ machines, they can control large amounts of bandwidth. They could contact a web-based company and threaten to shut down the site using their zombie computers. "Send us $50,000 today and we won't shut you down tomorrow." It's extortion in its most basic form. Instead of storefronts and head bashers, today we have Websites and botnets.
Take a look at this quote from a 2006 interview by CNN's Daniel Seiberg with Merrick Furst, associate dean and professor of computing at Georgia Tech's College of Computing
"So let me tell you how a botmaster makes money with click fraud. ... They'll build a Web site that looks like a normal Web site. They'll put up banner ads, or other types of ads on their Web site, and these are ads served up by Google. Google contracts an advertiser to put up ads on sites -- [unwittingly] contracts the botmaster online to put up ads on that botmaster's site. ... So [the botmaster] commands the machines in his bot army to click on the ads on this site. Every time one of his machines click, the message goes back to Google, Google charges the advertiser, the advertiser pays Google, Google keeps 20 percent and [unwittingly] gives 80 percent to the botmaster. ... Let's say even if [the botmaster] controls a small army of 5,000 machines, which is very small in this game -- he can make $15,000 a month in click fraud."
The figures I'm seeing on the spread of this problem are just staggering. Figures that range from 10% of all PCs connected to the Internet, to as high as 150 million machines, bring this problem into perspective. These aren't just alarmist figures. These estimates are from some of the world's most savvy computer and Internet gurus, names like Michael Dell, Merrick Furst, Vint Cerf (Father of the Internet) and Jonathan Zittrain (Oxford). I'm seeing reports of a single botnet that controlled 1.5 million machines. From less than 10 million in 2005, 75 million in 2006, and now 150 million in 2007, this is the biggest problem the Internet has faced to date.
Why so successful?
Like any industry, Botnet success depends on intelligence and technology. But since this industry thrives on predatory practices, there is another factor that comes into play. Usually bots infect single user PCs, but small business and universities are prime targets. Believe it or not, many of these machines are left totally unprotected. If your antivirus isn't updated at least weekly, you are not protected. Your firewall must be updated, active and on. Many moderate to small networks may lack a clear protection policy. Combining excellent cable connectons with uninformed users makes for the rocketing success of the Botmaster and his hive of Zombie Drones.
Is The Battle Lost?
Have you seen the joke about coming to the end of the Internet? Well it may not be a joke. The Internet is running out of addresses. The current limit is set at 4 billion. Countries that use languages and characters that are not Latin based, are coming into play. Everything in this world changes and computing, as we know it today, is certainly no different. Today's Internet is likely to last less time than the old wired phones of my parent's day. Today the Internet operates relatively unrestricted and unpoliced. It currently fosters anonymity but unless we come up with a way of keeping the bad guys in check it will soon be as desolate as DeadMans Gulch of Cowboy lore. Since no one's invited me to the next "Technology in Industry Summit" and my neighbor is a retired middle school principal instead of Michael Dell, I think I'll just update my antivirus and configure my firewall. If you find something better to do while you're at the summit let me know.
Is the Botnet Battle Already Lost?
Know your Enemy: Tracking Botnets
Join the Discussion
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GoogleIf they're not smart enough to use google, perhaps they could phone their pc manufacturer's tech-support-line(usually a 1-800 number) or ask someone at their local computer store, and gain some valid information that would help them out.
Perhaps some of you might think I'm the ignorant one, or just perhaps caloused to others that do not know better. That is in fact, not the case.
I'll admit I'm not the world's smartest person, nor even close to being the world's most educated person.
How-ever, like anyone else in the world of computing, and internet-useage, I was once a newbie, just like today's newbies are new to all that's going on around them.
How did I learn to protect myself from things like ID-theft and botnets, and so on? I asked questions, I googled, I read, and searched some more.
We live in a day and age where free anti-virus programs like AVAST(google it please) are free for home users, and even on a dial-up connection, are small enough to download relatively quickly. How well does it work? Well, let's just say I quit buying Norton's when it found several virii that Norton's could not and could also get rid of one that Norton's could find but couldn't get rid of. Added to which, is' very easy on system resources. I even let it run while gaming online in Call of Duty 4 with absolutely no issues what-so-ever.
Places like Staples and Best Buy will come set your system up for you, some may charge a small fee. But if you're really in the newbie category, this will be a lot cheaper than blundering through things with no idea what you're doing.
Then there's the entire series of "For Dummies" books, available at pretty much any book-store, that break things down into layman's terms for the average house-hold user. You don't have to be a rocket-scientist to read these books or understand them. Those are just a few of the resources available to people today, to educate themselves, and protect themselves. Lastly, there are forums, like this one, where they can get decent advice.
One has to remember. In life, there are no stupid questions, just the un-asked ones.
I'm not saying a computer owner should throw his computer into an oncoming car windshield or use it while sitting in water. Those would be good comparisons for what you are saying Bruce. I'm saying it is the software designers responsibiity more than the users.
LOL Surely there's some middle ground somewhere between toaster stabbing and the villanous newbie.
Newbies are not the villainous ones. They just don't know. The villainous ones are the ones who repeatedly give bad advice (on purpose).
Throwing their computers into an oncoming car or jumping into the tub with it may save them the aggravation, and frustration of things like their identity stolen, or a loss of data because they just didn't know, and followed bad advice.
So maybe your right.
I will start recommending that people just throw their computers into oncoming traffic or hop into the tub with it, because the consequences of those actions are far less frustrating and aggravating and don't last as long as the lengthy process of cleaning up the mess that following inherently bad advise can cause.
LOL Surely there's some middle ground somewhere between toaster stabbing and the villanous newbie.
However it is also a given that these products need to be used safely and that people actually need labels telling them that it isn't safe to stick a knife in the toaster, that it isn't safe to use a wrench as a pry bar, that it isn't safe to operate a motor vehicle vehicle while under the influence, they need labels telling them that it isn't safe to dry off your cat in the microwave.......................they need these warning labels because people do really stupid :filtered: everyday, they take risks and take those risks without regard for their own safety, or with total disregard for the consequences of their own actions and the impact it can have on others.
While all those things are safe when used properly the manufacturer can't be responsible for the people who use them irresponsibly. Those are usually the very first people who scream foul. They are the first ones who blame the maker, they are the first ones to complain that they like to stick knives in toasters and think the manufacturer should make sure that when they do that they don't destroy the toaster and get burned in the process.
Maybe it's the knife manufacturers fault, for not foreseeing that people will stick knives in toasters and should make all knives out of rubber, to protect them from the bad toaster makers
They can make safe products, they can even put features in place to make them safer. The problem lies with the individuals who disable those features, who just have to find ways around them, and then say hey why don't they make this stuff safe?
In no way do I feel that newbies are the problem. They are what everyone in the business of computers and software are hopping for and competing for. It's up to the industry to give them good safe products.
Like most education processes, it doesn't happen with the snap of a finger, but takes a while, often times like small children it needs to be repeated often before it starts to sink in and or become second nature. People were "trained" to use computers the way they do, like any and all training that can be changed.
You say education is a small part of the solution. If it is only a small part then what is the large part of the solution?
I think education might be a small part of the solution, even thought it is 100% of the problem. The reason is that we cannot change human behavior. Personally, I have never gotten a virus, and I have never unintentionally got spyware. Nor do I run anti spyware or anti virus because they slow my PC down.
We have to face the fact that there are many idiots out there, and they will continue to click and open things they shouldn't. All the training in the world will not change that fact.
Was your posting supposed to be in reply to mine? If so, I think that we are not on the same wavelength.
I thought that this thread was about botnets.
I already take every precaution so far mentioned above including also a hardware firewall and I refuse to use the mail facility in Vista.
The fact remains that I am paranoid about somehow being infected in spite of all the precautions that I take and somehow becoming part of a botnet.
My question is (I am relatively inexperienced) would the use of my computer as part of a botnet show up on CurrPorts? or would the worm/trojan be able to use the internet connection without it showing up? From what I have read on "Shields Up" it would seem that the answer is yes but I am not sure.
http://forums.pcpitstop.com/index.php?showtopic=151269
You could throw a million warnings in such a persons face, you could have all the software in the world for protection, and it wouldn't help, because such people ignore everything, and just keep on clicking away, even after the same warnings start appearing to the people they are emailing.
Education is indeed the answer. As it is obvious that nothing else will stop such people from insisting on scripts running in emails they receive.
It just baffles me.
My reasoning is that if I have been infected and am part of a botnet, I will see immediately if a trojan or worm starts to use the internet connection and will be able to pull the plug.
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/updates.htm
Mike will e-mail you updated Hosts files about every month or two and gives you all the directions you need on how to do it. Great for an old non-geek like me.
While I can't help much with zombie bots, but as for spam-bots: Here's a wonderful thing that messes them up:
http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/antispam.html
I use it on our business website and on my daughter's school band website.
Also, the largest problem are the boobs that are opening these attachments that allow the bots to live on their PCs and propagate the species.
Although I do not believe that education is the solution because it is not possible to effect everyone's behavior through education.
My view is that the anti malware industry has to raise its game. It is already a billion dollar industry, and they are currently researching ways to significantly raise the 40% detection rate.
What these people should understand is, by the time they get infected, so do many other people's computers they've come in contact with.
All of the precautions that Bruce mentioned above, should be placed in order.
If using IE7, then download and use IE Pro. It has a popup blocker, phishing filter, ad blocker and several other good features.
Everyone should have a good Hosts file and keep it up to date. http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
When running a search on Google, use LinkScanner (Lite->free or Pro).... it will check the sites with your query. Don't ever click "Im Feeling Lucky"....your luck might have run amuck
While we're at it...it's also up to each and every website to keep their sites clean and secure!
Website flaws include SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and session hijacking. An innocent user is often caught up in this mess.
I just received an email last week that must have had at least 50 names on it. I always delet those types before opening. I'd like to hear what people are doing for spam and email filters. It's easy enough to tell people to leave me off the chain lists and the "isn't this funny" list, but knowing the best software is another thing. That takes experience. The one thing we have a lot of here is experienced users and a variety of opinions.
I've yet to set up Thunderbird. I know we talked about that as an email option. Does it have a spam blocker, or an application that works well with it? What works with IE? We should be able to get some good input.
Things like email filters, phishing filters, spam filters, safe email practices like disabling html, not accepting attachments unless notified by the sender that one is coming, not accepting emails that have been forwarded to numerous people, telling senders that if they continue to forward emails to you you and everyone in their address books that you will filter out their address and no longer accept email from them....
Explain to the folks that every time they send an email to a pile of addresses that they have affectively just given out your email address to people you never intended to have it. That if anyone of those people has an infection they have probably just given your address and everyone else's to a criminal somewhere........
Prevention is the key.
While anti virus is a nice after thought, it is not a preventative measure, it is a reactionary measure, that is often inadequate.
I could go on and on, but I think you get hwat I mean Steve.
Telling folks to keep AV up to date is nice, but it isn't even close to being enough. Preaching actual preventative security practices and common sense goes much, much further then any add on reactionary software.
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