Tips on How to Keep Your Computer Bot-Free

The Department of Justice and the FBI have announced the results of an ongoing cyber crime initiative to dismantle "bot herders" and make consumer's aware of the botnets.

Bot - herders are hackers who install malicious software on computers without the knowledge of the owner. Once the malicious software is loaded on the computer, the bot herders can control the computer remotely. Once a certain amount of computers have the software downloaded, they have a robot network or a botnet. Some of the botnets can affect tens of thousands of computers.

James Finch who is the FBI Assistant Director for the Cyber Division stated in the FBI press release " An attacker gains control by infecting the computer with a virus or other malicious code and the computer continues to operate normally. Citizens can protect themselves from botnets and the associated schemes by practicing strong computer security habits to reduce the risk that your computer will be compromised." Most of the victims unwillingly allowed the access and the use of their computers for other crimes such as identity theft, phishing, click fraud, and mass distribution of spam or spyware.

The FBI is working with other companies such as Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, so that they can notify the victims owners of the computers that have been compromised. The FBI is also welcoming the Microsoft Corporation as well as the Botnet Task Force for referring the criminal activity to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.