What is a Botnet?

A botnet refers to a network of computers that are infected and controlled by a malicious actor to perform various tasks, often without the knowledge of the device owners. This collection of compromised machines can be used for a range of harmful activities, including launching distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS), sending spam emails, or stealing sensitive information.

The essence of a botnet lies in its ability to harness the collective power of these compromised systems, allowing the malicious actor to orchestrate large-scale cyber attacks from what appears to be a legitimate pool of devices. Understanding what a botnet is and how it operates is crucial for marine safety personnel, as it highlights the risks associated with cyber threats that can affect navigation systems, communication networks, and overall maritime safety.

The other options describe unrelated concepts. An encrypted file system has nothing to do with malicious networks, a legitimate device network implies trust and security, and a security monitoring system serves a protective role rather than being a collection of compromised devices.