Local News Team Five Coverage: The Botnet Menace

Is Your Computer At The Mercy Of The Botnet Menace?

New Computer Code Puts Dozens At Risk

POSTED 4:35 pm EST November 29th, 2007

How fitting it is that Beyonce Knowles' hit single "Upgrade U" has enthralled America just as the nation may need to "upgrade" their cp"u"s in the face of a new computer virus robot.

Many personal computers like this one are at risk.The program, called Botnets, is digital - and therefore completely undetectable. It could even be in your home right now, waiting for your unsuspecting children to use the computer. It does not discern between the innocent and guilty, for it is a heartless machine that sees all humans as binary code 1's (alive) that it must turn to 0's (dead).

Botnets affect your processor by using the internet's various protocols. Once inside, they control many things in the processor cores such as the system calculator and notepad.exe. By manipulating these programs, the Botnets learn everything there is to know about the system, including your passwords and favorite mp3 files.

From there, it's a simple matter of e-mailing this information back to the main Botnet. Once this happens, your computer is infected and becomes a "zombie" that is used to relay hacker codes across the globe on the world wide web, potentially racking up huge long distance charges on your phone bill.

Is this the first time you've heard of Botnets? Don't worry, these malicious computer diseases have managed to catch leading security experts off-guard.

When we told the FBI's Senior Computer Security Analyst Jacob Andweyer that Botnets can use your computer's netcam to determine when you're not in the room so they can safely move about the screen, his reply was, "What? That's not possible."

And that's why it works. Netbots are doing everything that security experts don't expect. It's only a matter of time.

How can you tell if your computer has been compromised? Keep an eye out for any of the following:

• Sending an email with 30 or more animated gifs seems slow
• Your cpu is warm to the touch
• Computer problems are unresponsive to your shouting and kicking
• You notice a suspicious dog in your neighborhood that you haven't seen before
• Default homepage replaced with "www.botnet.com", every file on your computer renamed "Botnet", "Botnet(2)", "Botnet(3)", etc.
• Your computer isn't where you left it after using it last, or is a little too close to where you left it

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 001 [][][]

Botnets entering the processor via internet protocols...
Botnets in place.

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 002 [][][]

Utilizing core to access calculator.exe...

Access Granted.

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 003 [][][]

Compiling database of user passwords, personal data, and mp3 files...

Database compiled.

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 003a [][][]

Communication to computer owner:

YOUR TASTE IN ILLEGAL MUSIC IS INADEQUATE

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 004 [][][]

Contacting Botnet master "Pusherbot"...

Zombification underway.

[][][] BOTNETS PROCESS 005 [][][]

Searching for webcam...

– Dennis "Corin Tucker's Stalker" Farrell (@DennisFarrell)