botnetum
Botnetum is a term occasionally used in cybersecurity literature to refer to the ecosystem of interconnected compromised devices under the control of a botmaster. It encompasses the bots (often called zombies), the command-and-control (C2) infrastructure, the propagation mechanisms that recruit new bots, and the operational practices that coordinate their activities. While not universally adopted, the term appears in some scholarly works to emphasize the organized, networked nature of modern botnets as a system rather than a collection of individual machines.
A botnetum typically consists of three layers: compromised devices that execute commands, one or more C2 channels
Operations within a botnetum aim to monetize or extend control over compromised assets. Common objectives include
Defensive responses focus on rapid identification of infected hosts, network traffic analysis, and disruption of C2