computer science

Kraken botnet

Kraken botnet is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kraken botnet rather than just read about it. In short: The Kraken botnet is a network hacking spyware program that attacks Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh systems through email and World Wide Web sites such as social networking sites. It was the world's largest botnet as of April 2008.

Key takeaways

Kraken botnet belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kraken botnet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kraken botnet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Kraken botnet is a network hacking spyware program that attacks Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh systems through email and World Wide Web sites such as social networking sites. It was the world's largest botnet as of April 2008. Researchers say that Kraken infected machines in at least 50 of the Fortune 500 companies and grew to over 400,000 bots. It was estimated to send 9 billion spam messages per day. Kraken botnet malware may have been designed to evade antivirus software, and employed techniques to stymie conventional anti-virus software.

History The Kraken botnet was first discovered in 2008 by security firm Damballa. Researchers described it as the largest botnet discovered at the time, compromising over 400,000 infected machines. This was more than twice the size of the Storm botnet, which was previously considered to be the largest zombie network. Prevalence In a 24-hour period on March 25, 2008, Kraken was observed to have infected 409,912 unique IP addresses. Researchers predicted the botnet would grow to over 600,000 nodes within two weeks. The botnet infiltrated machines inside major corporations, including over 50 Fortune 500 companies.

Action Kraken is believed to spread primarily through social engineering, by tricking users into clicking on malicious files disguised as images. Once executed, the Kraken malware copies itself to the victim's hard drive in a slightly altered format, allowing it to evade detection by antivirus software. Infected machines also regularly update themselves with new variants to avoid detection. Kraken's ability to rapidly morph its codebase has allowed it to evade detection by most antivirus products. At the time of discovery, only about 20 percent of antivirus products were detecting the malware. This code obfuscation and frequent updates have made it an extremely stealthy and evasive botnet. Once infected, the Kraken malware uses the victim's machine to send large volumes of spam advertising various scams and questionable products like high-interest loans, fake luxury goods, and gambling sites. Researchers observed bots in the network sending as many as 500,000 spam emails per day.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kraken botnet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kraken botnet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kraken botnet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kraken botnet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kraken botnet

In research: Kraken botnet appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kraken botnet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kraken botnet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Botnets, Distributed computing projects, Internet security, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kraken botnet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kraken botnet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kraken botnet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kraken botnet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kraken botnet in simple terms?

Why does Kraken botnet matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kraken botnet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kraken botnet.