This unit introduces the historical, architectural, and operational foundations that enable botnets and automated abuse on the modern web. Students explore internet evolution, layered web architecture, methods for measuring and characterizing bot traffic, and common bot-driven abuses and legal/enforcement challenges to prepare for detection and mitigation in later units.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze the historical evolution of the Internet and web (from ARPANET to contemporary metaverse concepts) and explain how milestones in that evolution have enabled new forms of automated abuse
- Evaluate the functional roles of web and network layers (e.g., application, transport, network, infrastructure) and determine how each layer can be exploited by botnets and automation tools
- Quantify bot traffic using basic metrics (volume, rate, distribution, and behavioral variability) and interpret measurement results to estimate prevalence and potential impact
- Categorize common bot-driven abuses (account takeover, account opening abuse, web scraping, scalping, and carding) and assess the associated law enforcement, attribution, and mitigation challenges
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 13 Lessons
- 30 hours
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- Unit 1 — Foundations of Botnets and Abuse13
- 1.1From ARPANET to the Metaverse20 mins
- 1.2The Different Layers of the Web20 mins
- 1.3The Emergence of New Types of Abuses20 mins
- 1.4The Proliferation of Botnets20 mins
- 1.5Quantifying the Bot Traffic Volume on the Internet20 mins
- 1.6Botnets Are Unpredictable20 mins
- 1.7Bot Activity and Law Enforcement20 mins
- 1.8Summary20 mins
- 1.9Account Takeover20 mins
- 1.10Account Opening Abuse20 mins
- 1.11Web Scraping20 mins
- 1.12Scalping: Hype Events20 mins
- 1.13Carding Attacks20 mins
Instructor
Free
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