A botnet is a network of internet-connected devices, such as computers, smartphones, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices, that have been infected by malware and are under the control of a single attacking party, known as the "bot-herder". Each individual machine under the control of the bot-herder is known as a bot. Botnets can be used to perform various malicious activities, such as Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, data theft, spamming, and allowing the attacker to access the device and its connection. The owner of the botnet can control it using command and control (C&C) software. Botnets are usually created by infecting computers with malware, which can be spread through various means, such as email, social media, or exploiting security issues in software or websites. Botnets can be used in various attacks that may or may not require additional communication with the C2 server. Botnets are a significant cybersecurity concern to governments, enterprises, and individuals, as they can be used to perform large-scale actions that were previously impossible with malware.