This week in our lecture we looked at a series of events that have taken place over the past 20-30 years regarding the internet, in particular, the use of Botnets and the idea of a sock puppet army.

A botnet is simply a number of internet-connected devices. Botnets are more often used for non-illegal activities and are often referred to as ‘the workhorses of the internet’.

Botnets become a problem when looking at their illegal purposes, as they can be used for malicious attacks including credentials leaks, data theft and DDoS attacks to name a few.

This then moves into the idea of a sock puppet army. This term was first coined when documents were released stating that the US government had thousands/tens of thousands of fake accounts on social media that looked realistic. This got people talking about how this has the potential to sway public opinions or draw focus from important topics.