: 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
Dave MosherExamples of botnet in a Sentence
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Another group involved in ransomware paid the network over $1 million for access to the botnet.
—Paula Wethington, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
The design makes the botnet resistant to detection and takedowns through traditional methods.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Mar. 2026
In 2017, Mehlhorn secretly helped fund a deceptive social-media botnet campaign, which mimicked foreign-interference tactics and was designed to hurt a Republican Senate candidate.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
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Paula Wethington, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
The design makes the botnet resistant to detection and takedowns through traditional methods.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Mar. 2026
In 2017, Mehlhorn secretly helped fund a deceptive social-media botnet campaign, which mimicked foreign-interference tactics and was designed to hurt a Republican Senate candidate.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for botnet
Cite this Entry
“Botnet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/botnet. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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