The term 'botnet' has surfaced in the media in recent years, showing the complications of manipulation of massive amounts of computers. These zombie computers provide platform for many illegal or otherwise shady actions, like spam mailing and denial of service-attacks. The power of such networks is noticeable on global scale, but what is really known about these networks? Why do they exist in the first place? How are botnets being created today and how they work on a technical level? How is the emergence of mobile internet computing affecting botnet creation and what kind of possibilities does it offer?
Goal of this work is to illustrate the history of botnets, understand the structure of botnets, how they are built, and how they affect the whole internet culture. Also the methods for fighting against the threat of botnets are speculated.
