The Commerce and Homeland Security departments are considering whether a set of voluntary industry standards are needed to combat botnets, the malicious networks of compromised computers controlled by online criminals, hackers and possibly nation-states. Steps being considered include a centralized customer support center for Internet service providers, a voluntary code of conduct for vendors and service providers along with incentives for participation, and an effort to identify best practices for preventing, identifying and mitigating infections. “Over the past several years, botnets have increasingly put computer owners at risk,” said a request for information published last month by DHS, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

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DHS, Commerce looking to battle botnets