Peer-to-Peer Botnets

Abstract

A botnet is a network of computers that are compromised and controlled by an attacker. Botnets are one of the most serious threats to today’s Internet. Most current botnets have centralized command and control (C&C) architecture. However, peer-to-peer (P2P) structured botnets have gradually emerged as a new advanced form of botnets. Without C&C servers, P2P botnets are more resilient to defense countermeasures than traditional centralized botnets. In this chapter, we systematically study P2P botnets along multiple dimensions: botnet construction, C&C mechanisms, performance measurements, and mitigation approaches.