: a network of computers that have been linked together by malware : a network of bots (see bot entry 1 sense 2b)
Criminals link hijacked personal computers together to form "botnets"—clusters of infected PCs that spammers can control from anywhere in the world.—
Dave Mosher
Dave MosherExamples of botnet in a Sentence
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In 2024, security firm Human said its researchers found evidence that a botnet named Proxylib was tied to ASOCKS.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
Now The Wall Street Journal has published a detailed look at an unlikely player in the investigation of those botnets, 22-year-old Benjamin Brundage, a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 4 Apr. 2026
Another group involved in ransomware paid the network over $1 million for access to the botnet.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
In December, security researchers also spotted evidence that the creators of Aisuru were behind a new botnet called Kimwolf that’s been hijacking Android TV boxes.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
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Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 29 May 2026
Now The Wall Street Journal has published a detailed look at an unlikely player in the investigation of those botnets, 22-year-old Benjamin Brundage, a student at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 4 Apr. 2026
Another group involved in ransomware paid the network over $1 million for access to the botnet.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
In December, security researchers also spotted evidence that the creators of Aisuru were behind a new botnet called Kimwolf that’s been hijacking Android TV boxes.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for botnet
Cite this Entry
“Botnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botnet. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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