Akbot was a

computer virus A computer virus is a type of malware that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and Code injection, inserting its own Computer language, code into those programs. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas ...

that infected an estimated 1.3 million computers and added them to a

botnet A botnet is a group of Internet-connected devices, each of which runs one or more Internet bot, bots. Botnets can be used to perform distributed denial-of-service attack, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, steal data, send Spamming, sp ...

. It was created by an 18-year-old named Owen Walker, who was charged but unconvicted in 2008.

Infection

Akbot is an

IRC IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a text-based chat system for instant messaging. IRC is designed for group communication in discussion forums, called '' channels'', but also allows one-on-one communication via private messages as well as chat ...

controlled backdoor program. It allows an outside user to take control of the infected computer. Akbot operates by joining IRC servers and the waiting for further instructions. Once installed, Akbot can be used to gather data, kill processes, or perform DDOS attacks.

Sources

The author, 18-year-old New Zealand based bot master, Owen Walker ("AKILL"), was caught during an international investigation, Operation: Bot Roast, during which his home was raided by New Zealand police and an FBI agent. He was charged in April 2008, but not convicted because the court did not believe his motives to be criminal.

References

Botnets {{malware-stub