Type your question in the FBI Discovers 1 Million Hacked PCs
Thursday 14 June 2007
An operation by the FBI has identified over 1 million computers used in attacks by cyber-criminals, who have hacked the PCs without the owners' knowledge.
Operation Bot Roast was set up by the FBI to crack down on so-called "bot-herders", hackers who install malicious software on PCs without the users knowing, enabling them to take control of the computers remotely and use them in spam attacks on web sites.
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The operation lead to the arrests of several individuals who were charged with sending millions of spam e-mails and infecting thousands of computers.
A hacked PC can also be used to steal information about the owner for identity fraud. Symptoms of a compromised PC can include slow-running or an e-mail outbox full of messages the user did not send.
Users who believe their PC has been infected should first contact their Internet Service Provider (ISP) to determine if their computer is compromised, and then file a complaint online through the FBI's web site.
Users are recommended to take steps to protect their PCs from attack by using security software such as anti-virus and firewall, keeping Windows updated and being cautious when opening attachments or following links in e-mails.
Related Tip: 5 Steps To Keep Your PC Safe Online
Preventing Spam
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- Adware
- Advertising program often installed along with other programs
- Attachment
- A file attached to an e-mail message for sending between computers
- Blog
- Web log. Personal web page where the author can post their views and experiences and receive comments.
- BMP
- Bitmap. The most common graphics file type for Windows PCs
- Bookmarks
- List of your favourite web sites
- Browser
- Software that displays web pages such as Internet Explorer and Firefox
- Compression
- A method of reducing the storage space a file takes up. Files must be decompressed to be used again
- Cookie
- Data that tracks visits to web sites and remembers user preferences
- Crash
- Occurs when a program causes your computer to stop responding
- Demo
- Free demonstration version of software that allows you to try before you buy
- Directory
- An index of web site links arranged in categories
- Disk Space
- The size of the area on the hard disk where files can be stored
- Domain name
- URL or Address of a web site on the Internet
- Download
- Transfer a file from another computer to your own
- Driver
- Software required for Windows to use a piece of hardware such as a graphics card
- Electronic mail passed between computers
- Favorites
- List of your favourite web sites
- Firewall
- Program or device that blocks or allows Internet access to a network or a PC
- Flash
- Software to create and play web site animations
- Font
- Text of a particular size and style
- Freeware
- Software that is free to download and use for as long as you like
- Hardware
- Physical parts of a computer system such as the hard disk, keyboard and printer
- HTML
- HyperText Markup Language. The code that makes up a web page
- Home Page
- The main page of a web site, often a welcome page
- Hyperlink
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Internet
- A collection of inter-connected computer networks
- Install
- To load and copy program files onto a computer
- JPG / JPEG
- Compressed graphics file for sending across the Internet
- Link
- A text or graphic you click on to go to another page or a different web site
- Malware
- Malicious software such as virus or spyware programs
- Modem
- Device that links a computer to the Internet through a telephone line
- MP3
- Compressed audio file to save disk space and for transfer across the Internet
- Netiquette
- Acceptable behaviour online
- Online
- Connected to the Internet
- Phishing
- Fraudulent e-mails and web sites trying to trick you into giving out personal details
- Plug-in
- Extra programs that can be installed into larger programs to handle special tasks, such as playing certain types of movie files in a browser
- Podcast
- Internet audio broadcast that can be played back on PCs or MP3 players such as the iPod.
- Pop-Up
- Small window that appears on a web page, often used for advertisements.
- Program
- A set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Rootkit
- Software that hides system files and can allow attackers to access your computer undetected
- Router
- Device used in home Internet networks to send data from the web to specific computers
- RSS
- Really Simple Syndication - a system to feed you news stories from web sites
- Search Engine
- Tool that searches the Web for keywords and provides relevant links
- Server
- A computer that holds Internet data such as web site files and can send it to another computer when requested
- Shareware
- Software that is free to download but you pay a fee if you want to continue using it after the trial period
- Shortcut
- A link you can click to go straight to a particular program or web page
- Social Networking
- Web sites based on communication and relying on users to add content
- Software
- A program or a set of instructions to make a computer carry out a task
- Spam
- Junk mail messages to e-mail addresses
- Spyware
- Software that tracks your movements on the Web for advertising purposes without your knowledge
- Stream
- Start playing music or video as soon as it begins downloading
- Surfing
- Moving from one web page to another
- Trial
- Software that allows you to try before you buy
- Trojan
- Malicious virus program disguised as useful software
- Uninstall
- Remove program files from a computer
- Upload
- Send a file from your computer to an online destination
- URL
- Uniform Resource Locator. The address of a web site on the World Wide Web
- Virus
- Destructive program that infects and damages computer files
- Vlog
- Video web log
- VoIP
- Voice over Internet Protocol - voice conversations across the Internet
- WAV
- The standard audio file type for Windows PCs
- Web Page
- Individual page on a web site
- Web Site
- A collection of connected web pages located at a particular domain name
- Wiki
- Web site that can be edited by users to add information
- Windows
- Microsoft operating system installed on most PCs
- World Wide Web (WWW)
- Information space on the Internet stored on servers across the world containing documents connected together through hyperlinks
- Worm
- Malicious code that uses an infected PC to spread itself to others
- Zip
- Compressed file format to reduce diskspace needed by a file and to transfer it between computers more quickly
