With the growth of high-speed Internet connections, many opt to leave their computers on and ready for action. The downside is that being “always on” renders computers more susceptible. Beyond firewall protection, which is designed to fend off unwanted attacks, turning the computer off effectively severs an attacker’s connection—be it spyware or a botnet that […]

In our year-end roundup of the worst malware threats of 2017, we compared malware to actual biological viruses, in that both are ever-evolving phenomena. For example, you know how it’s recommended for certain demographics to get a flu shot every year?  The rationale is simple: The flu virus itself is never identical from year to year, meaning that […]

Networks of computers infected by malware and controlled remotely by cybercriminals, usually for financial gain or to launch attacks on websites or networks. Many botnets are designed to harvest data, such as passwords, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and other personal information.