: 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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This can include unauthorized access attempts to restricted areas and unusual communication patterns, such as potential botnet communications activity through irregular traffic patterns.
—Martin Roesch, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
In 2025, the number of DDOS attacks have spiked, partly propelled by a massive botnet largely concentrated in the US delivering record-sized attacks.
—Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
The company has sourced the attacks to various botnets, or armies of infected computers.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 21 Jan. 2025
The botnet was made up of more than 260,000 consumer devices in North America, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia, the FBI, Cyber National Mission Force and National Security Agency said in its initial joint advisory in September.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
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Martin Roesch, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
In 2025, the number of DDOS attacks have spiked, partly propelled by a massive botnet largely concentrated in the US delivering record-sized attacks.
—Ars Technica, 11 Mar. 2025
The company has sourced the attacks to various botnets, or armies of infected computers.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 21 Jan. 2025
The botnet was made up of more than 260,000 consumer devices in North America, South America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and Australia, the FBI, Cyber National Mission Force and National Security Agency said in its initial joint advisory in September.
—Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for botnet
Cite this Entry
“Botnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botnet. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
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