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Semalt Expert: IoT And Reaper Botnets And The Risks Associated With Them

Reaper botnets are used to bring down and target some online services, such as the DDOS (Distributed Denial of Services). They also deliver a large number of spam campaigns. Because users don't get an idea if the reaper botnets infect their computers, it's easy for spammers to steal your personal data which is then used for identity theft scams.

Nik Chaykovskiy, the Semalt Customer Success Manager, explains that the worst thing is the cybercriminals create botnets and sell them to the online bidders. They then use the botnets for some cybercrimes all over the world. The IoT botnets are collections of compromised devices, including routers, DVR, cameras, wearable devices and several embedded technologies. It is mainly infected by viruses and lets the attackers control and carry out different tasks both offline and online. All IoT devices have poor security options and characteristics such as predictable credentials, compromised admin logins and shared ports for the remote access. The hackers mainly compromise the devices through brute force logins and inject different malware through the open ports or vulnerable services.

How to find if your PC is a part of IoT or reaper botnets

It's easy to find if your computer is a part of a botnet and you can also evaluate its impact on the performance of your device. When a computer becomes a botnet part, it functions slowly and does not act as per your instructions. Moreover, the websites don't load properly, and your operating systems are overloaded with lots of queries.

How do these botnets work?

The reaper botnets and IoT are instructed to perform certain tasks. They are mainly responsible for stealing personal information such as credit card details and might not be visible to the users because of their quiet behavior. Hackers that are known as botmasters mainly use these botnets. The command and control servers are meant to bring down the botnets.

The following risks are associated with these botnets.

1. They pretend to be legitimate and get you involved in suspicious activities:

The risks associated with the botnets are the same as the risks of malicious programs and suspicious activities on the internet. For instance, the botnets are designed to steal your personal information and access your credit card details. They also gain access to your intellectual properties, blueprints, and passwords and sometimes force you to click on their links to affiliate websites. You should understand that once your computer gets infected, it will no longer act as your requirements but will perform the tasks assigned by a hacker.

2. There is no line between personal and corporate computer and mobile devices:

The line between corporate and personal computers is blurry. All of us can be the victims of botnet malware, and the only way to get rid of them is installing the anti-malware programs. Identifying and stopping the botnet malware is all you need to ensure your safety online. From the technological perspective, the botnets can be stopped with anti-malware or antivirus programs. We can stop the infections in the network traffic and can get rid of them soon.