botnet

noun

bot·​net ˈbät-ˌnet 

: a network of computers that have been linked together by malware : a network of bots (see bot entry 1 sense 2b)

Criminals link hijacked personal computers together to form "botnets"—clusters of infected PCs that spammers can control from anywhere in the world.

—Dave Mosher

Examples of botnet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the case of Matrix, the DDoS campaign has combined a whole bunch of things to create a formidable botnet: public scripts, brute-force attacks as well as weak credentials exploitation. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Web Shield is a component of AVG AntiVirus Free, designed to block access to dangerous websites, malicious downloads, botnets, and threats delivered as scripts. —PC Magazine, 11 Apr. 2025

Fast flux works by cycling through a range of IP addresses and domain names that these botnets use to connect to the Internet. —ArsTechnica, 4 Apr. 2025

This can include unauthorized access attempts to restricted areas and unusual communication patterns, such as potential botnet communications activity through irregular traffic patterns. —Martin Roesch, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

bot entry 1 + net entry 1

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for botnet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette