botnet

noun

bot·​net ˈbät-ˌnet How to pronounce botnet (audio)
: 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

Examples of botnet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In May 2024, law enforcement shut down a botnet, a network of hijacked devices, called 911 S5. Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 5 Jan. 2025 The Anatomy Of A Botnet Attack Think of a botnet as a zombie army of devices controlled by a hacker. Alex Vakulov, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024 At the other end of the scale, according to Orange’s research, residential proxy networks have broadly been used for cyber espionage by Russian hackers, in social engineering efforts, as part of DDoS attacks, phishing, botnets, and more. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2024 The Road Ahead As IoT devices become increasingly ubiquitous, the threat of large-scale botnets like Raptor Train will only grow. Shankar Somasundaram, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for botnet 

Word History

Etymology

bot entry 1 + net entry 1

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of botnet was in 2003

Dictionary Entries Near botnet

Cite this Entry

“Botnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botnet. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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