<P> A botnet is a number of Internet - connected devices, each of which is running one or more bots . Botnets can be used to perform distributed denial - of - service attack (DDoS attack), steal data, send spam, and allow the attacker access to the device and its connection . The owner can control the botnet using command and control (C&C) software . The word "botnet" is a combination of the words "robot" and "network". The term is usually used with a negative or malicious connotation . </P> <P> A botnet is a logical collection of internet - connected devices such computers, smartphones or IoT devices whose security has been breached and control ceded to a third party . Each such compromised device, known as a "bot", is created when a device is penetrated by software from a malware (malicious software) distribution . The controller of a botnet is able to direct the activities of these compromised computers through communication channels formed by standards - based network protocols such as IRC and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). </P>

Bots as part of a botnet can be controlled by hackers through