While security risks on the Internet continue to exist in many areas, one increasingly exploited threat is the global rise of botnets. A botnet infection can lead to the monitoring of a consumer's personal information and communication, and exploitation of that consumer's computing power and Internet access.  To address the problems created by botnets, the botnet lifecycle must be disrupted and the malware on the devices removed or made impotent.  Companies, organizations and governments around the world have been developing policies, high-level principles and solutions.

NIST seeks to engage all stakeholders to identify the available and needed technologies and tools to recognize, prevent, and remediate botnets; explore current and future efforts to develop botnet metrics and methodologies for measuring and reporting botnet metrics over time; and, understand where ecosystem stakeholders are in terms of roles and responsibilities.