Recently, the Council to Secure the Digital Economy and the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security published papers documenting industry and governmental efforts to counter botnets. Botnets, which operate as a network of computers or devices infected with malicious software, are often used by an attacker to steal data, render websites unavailable through a distributed denial of service attack, or send spam — and often without the device owners’ knowledge.
The Council to Secure the Digital Economy developed the International Anti-Botnet Guide through collaboration between USTelecom, Information Technology Industry Council, and the Consumer Technology Association. The guide represents industry-developed consensus on baseline and advanced security practices that stakeholders can take to reduce the likelihood and impact of botnets.
The Road Map Toward Resilience Against Botnets, published yesterday by the Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security, outlines similar and related actions and, most importantly, presents them in a way that enables stakeholders to work on multiple efforts at the same time.
The following can be attributed to Megan Stifel, Cybersecurity Policy Director at Public Knowledge:
“The Anti-Botnet Guide and Road Map both reflect thoughtful efforts on the part of key internet actors to enhance the internet ecosystem’s sustainability. These documents recognize many of the same actions identified in our white paper, ‘Securing the Modern Economy: Transforming Cybersecurity Through Sustainability,’ including building security into products from the very beginning and raising consumer awareness about a product’s security capabilities through labeling and other consumer education mechanisms.
“Although these documents are important steps in enhancing internet resilience, their success depends upon individuals taking action. We look forward to working collaboratively with industry, governments, and all stakeholders to implement the actions identified in the Guide and Road Map domestically and throughout the world.”
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