2013 CHECK POINT ANNUAL SECURITY REPORT
02
_ THREATS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION
BOTNET ACTIVITIES
Send Out
Spam Email
Messages
Attack
Computers
and Servers
Steal Data
Distribute
Malicious
Software
Spread
Viruses
There are two major trends in today’s threat landscape
which are driven by bot attacks. The first is the growing
profit-driven cybercrime industry which includes
cybercriminals, malware operators, tool providers,
coders, and affiliate programmers. Their “products”(e.g.
DIY malware kits, spam sending, data theft, and
Denial of Service attacks) can be easily ordered online
from numerous websites to cause severe damages for
organizations. The second trend is the increase of
ideological and state-driven attacks that target people or
organizations to promote a political cause.
In any case, botnets are here to stay. As opposed to viruses
and other traditional static malware types whose code and
forms remain unchanged, botnets by nature are dynamic
and can quickly morph form and traffic patterns. Bot
toolkits are sold online for as low as $500, and their attacks
cost businesses millions of dollars. The bot problem is now
considered to be a major security issue.
