Botnet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of internet-connected computers that have been infected with malicious software and are controlled remotely by an attacker without their owners' knowledge
2. A group of compromised devices linked across the internet and directed by a single operator or group to perform coordinated malicious tasks
3. An interconnected system of hacked computers that an attacker manipulates from a distance to carry out large-scale cyberattacks or other harmful activities

Etymology: "Botnet" is a plain compound, made by joining "bot," short for "robot," and "net," meaning a network of connected computers. The "bot" half has a longer journey than the "net" half. It traces back through Czech "robota," meaning forced labour, which Karel Čapek's 1920 play "R.U.R." turned into "robot" for mechanical workers, and the English clipping "bot" came from that word. "Net," by contrast, comes from Old English "nett," a plain word for a woven mesh used to catch things. Joined together, the two parts describe a network of machines that a controller can direct remotely, usually computers that have been secretly infected with malware and put to work without their owners' knowledge. The compound is a modern coinage, formed in English from these two older words rather than inherited from any earlier language.

Synonyms: zombie network, bot army