What’s a Zombie?
A zombie is a machine that has been attacked by a hacker, a computer virus, or a Trojan Horse.and added to a Botnet. A Botnet is a group of machines usually controlled by criminals.Generally, these computers are used to send spam. The Botnet can also be rented to other criminals for use in denial-of-service attacks.
Your computer must be infected with malware to be turned into a zombie. The software runs surreptitiously. That's because the criminals want to use your machine as long as possible. They don't want you to know.
Given this, it is often difficult to tell if your computer is a zombie. Your computer may be sluggish. There could be a lot of causes for this, though.
You would probably also notice new programs on the machine. Access to security sites could be blocked. And your connection speed could slow to a crawl.
Just how does your system become a Zombie?
Usually via email attachment, pretending to be a legitimate piece of software. When you run the attachment, a Trojan installs itself on your system.How can I tell?
Most people don't realize their computer is infected until one of two things happens.You can't easily tell if your PC has been Zombified. The usual malware warning signs--computer slowdowns, odd behaviour--apply to zombies, though they could easily be signs of lesser problems. Watch your firewall software for strange outgoing traffic.
You could receive a number of bounced messages. Now, warnings about bounced messages could actually be spam.
However, these should say that a sent message has been blocked. Spam messages generally say that the mail is undeliverable.
It is very unlikely that the returned messages will be those sent by the criminal. The Botnet will use a fake address, so as not to tip victims off. Rather, the messages would be returned because of the IP address.
I always recommend that you not open suspected spam messages. Just opening an email these days can infect your machine. So, I wouldn't explore the messages. If you're seeing a lot of them, presume the worst.
The second thing that tips people off is more obvious. They receive a message from their ISP. Their account has been blocked because it's a zombie.
Protecting Yourself
FIREWALL your system. Antivirus software is a must, but it is simply not enough. Whether you connect via dial-up, cable, satellite or DSL, and regardless of your ISP, get and use a personal firewall. Windows has a built in Firewall but this does not protect you if you already installed a Trojan etcPlease leave a Comment below!
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