The creation, control or deployment of a network of compromised computers, commonly called a botnet, without the knowledge of their owners, in order to carry out coordinated malicious activity such as distributed denial of service attacks, spam distribution, credential theft or cryptocurrency mining. An offender, often called a botmaster, typically infects machines with malware that allows remote command and control, then rents out or uses the resulting network as a criminal service. Botnets have been a central infrastructure of organized cybercrime since the early 2000s, and law enforcement agencies have periodically dismantled major botnets through coordinated takedown operations.
Facts
Classification CodeOperating, building or using a botnet without the devices' owners' authorization is prosecuted as hacking, fraud or related cyber-crime in most jurisdictions. 1 Typical PenaltyUnited States federal law treats an unauthorized-access computer offense as a felony punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, with a first offense carrying a fine, up to five years in prison, or both; real botnet cases have drawn longer sentences under aggregated charges. 2 Elements of OffenseCreating, controlling or deploying a network of compromised, malware-infected devices, known as bots, to perform coordinated actions such as distributed denial-of-service attacks, data theft or spam distribution. 1 Notable ExampleJeanson James Ancheta was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison in 2006 for building and renting out botnets of hijacked computers, at the time the longest known sentence for a defendant who spread computer viruses. 3 Classification
Offense GradeSerious or Indictable Offense 1 Connections
Associated With
Source Wikipedia: Cybercrime
Sources
1. Botnet Operation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaOverview section, legality sentence
Operating, building, or using a botnet to access or control devices without their owners' authorization is illegal in most jurisdictions and is regularly prosecuted as hacking, fraud, or related cyber-crime.
lead paragraph
A botnet is a group of Internet-connected devices, each of which runs one or more bots. Botnets can be used to perform distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, steal data, send spam, and allow the attacker to access the device and its connection.
View the Source 2. 18 U.S. Code section 1030 (Cornell LII)
Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute18 U.S.C. 1030(c)(4)(A)Quote, 18 U.S.C. 1030(c)(4)(A)
a fine under this title, imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or both
3. Ancheta Botnet Sentencing (Department of Justice)
United States Department of JusticeDOJ press release, sentencing paragraphQuote, DOJ press release, sentencing paragraph
Jeanson James Ancheta, 21, of Downey, California, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison
Wikipedia: Cybercrime
Associated With: Cybercrime, Lead and law-enforcement sectionsQuote, Associated With: Cybercrime, Lead and law-enforcement sections
Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or networks.
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