botnet

American  

[bot-net] / ˈbɒtˌnɛt /

noun

Computers.

1. a network of computers created by malware and controlled remotely, without the knowledge of the users of those computers.

   The botnet was used primarily to send spam emails.

   Hackers built the botnet to carry out DDoS attacks.

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botnet British  

/ ˈbɒtˌnɛt /

noun

1. (sometimes with a capital) a network of computers infected by a program that communicates with its creator in order to send unsolicited emails, attack websites, etc

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Etymology

Origin of botnet

First recorded in 1990–95 in earlier sense “a network of bots”; bot ¹ + net(work)

Example Sentences

In the past few months alone, hackers built a botnet of more than two million devices on inexpensive internet-connected gadgets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

We dubbed this the “fox8” botnet after one of the fake news websites it was designed to amplify.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2026

It followed a massive takedown in 2021 of a botnet called Emotet, Eurojust said.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024

Soon afterward, the compromised device disappeared from the TrickBot botnet.

From The Verge • Sep. 9, 2022

There are so many infected PCs on the Internet that the price of hiring an hour or two on a botnet has crashed.

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory