The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) receives information on botnet infections from various sources. This data primarily originates from sinkhole systems. Information on identified devices using German IP addresses is provided to the relevant Internet providers so that they can write to you, their customer, to inform you of the infection.

If your provider has informed you that one of the computers using your Internet connection is infected with malware, read the following information carefully and take action.

First of all: Don't panic. The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what has been found on your network and which devices are affected. To help you find out more about the types of malware out there, we've put together a summary of the most common botnets on the "Current botnet overviews" page. This page will tell you how the infection ended up on your system and explains how to get rid of it.

If you're not an expert, it's best to get professional advice. Tackling malware can be a very tricky and technically challenging undertaking.