With the use of peer-to-peer file sharing programs such as LimeWire, more and more computers around the world are becoming Zombies according to Symantec.
A little more than six-million computers around the world were identified as bot infected during the last half of 2006 - a 29% increase over the previous six months according to a report released by Symantec.
Malicious Bots also known as Web Robots are autonomous programs that transfer spyware and spam across the internet. The user whose computer is being used for the spam also remains unaware that the system has been converted into a zombie.
These malicious are hidden in Emails and software that seem to be legal. When downloaded they start using the system to transfer spam across the internet.
Earlier such kind of malicious codes were spread using Emails but as the users became more aware of them, then the authors of these codes have started using other applications such as LimeWire to spread the codes.
Till now no security company has released any application that can fully prevent these codes. Experts have suggested the use of several tools including a hardware router, firewall, and anti-virus and anti-spyware programs and also keep the OS updated with the latest patches so that they can provide an effective way to prevent their machine from becoming a zombie.
Via: edmontonsun
