A bot attack represents one of the most prevalent and evolving threats in cybersecurity today, where automated programs are weaponized against websites, applications, and digital services.
In the context of web technology, a bot is a software program designed to automate web requests to achieve specific user-defined goals. These automated agents operate across the internet, performing various tasks ranging from benign to malicious, depending on their programming and the intent of their deployers.
The world of bots is divided into two distinct categories – each with dramatically different impacts on online businesses and their users.
Good bots are employed in numerous helpful applications. For instance, they facilitate customer service operations, efficiently handle repetitive queries, and play a crucial role in detecting and preventing fraud. These bots are programmed to mimic human interaction to some extent, aiding in various online services and operations. One of the most well-known examples is Googlebot, which Google uses to crawl and index websites for its search engine. This type of bot helps organize and categorize web content, making it easily accessible to users through search results.
On the other hand, malicious bots are used for darker purposes. They are often deployed to scan or scrape website content without permission, infringing on intellectual property rights and compromising website security. These bots can automatically probe websites for software vulnerabilities, making them a potent tool for cybercriminals.
The evolution of bot attacks is significant. What started as basic spamming operations has evolved into a sophisticated criminal enterprise, beginning in the early 1990s with simple email spam bots and progressing through increasingly complex iterations. By the mid-2000s, botnets emerged as a major threat, with notorious networks demonstrating the potential for massive, coordinated attacks. These operations often possess massive infrastructures and can span multiple continents, reflecting these cyber attacks’ growing complexity and threat. Modern bot attacks employ advanced techniques like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and polymorphic code to evade detection, while cryptocurrency has enabled anonymous payments and made attribution increasingly difficult.
In a bot attack, these automated programs are used to defraud, manipulate, or disrupt end-users of applications, websites, or APIs. Automated web requests characterize these attacks, ranging from simple spamming operations to complex criminal activities with devastating impact. Bot attacks have shown steady growth, with an annual increase of 47%, leading to massive financial losses through data theft, credential stuffing, and account takeovers. This rapid escalation affects not only direct business operations but also degrades customer experience, damages brand reputation, and forces organizations to continually upgrade their security infrastructure to combat these evolving threats.
Organizations should remain vigilant and monitor for several telltale indicators of bot activity to promptly identify and mitigate potential bot attacks. Here are some key warning signs:
Unusual spikes in website traffic
A sudden and significant increase in website traffic, especially if it occurs during off-peak hours or from unexpected sources, may indicate a bot attack. Bots can generate large volumes of traffic in a short period, overwhelming websites and disrupting normal operations.
High rates of failed login attempts
Repeated, unsuccessful login attempts from the same IP address or a range of IP addresses could signal an automated bot trying to brute-force passwords or exploit weak authentication mechanisms.
Suspicious patterns in form submissions
Unusual patterns in form submissions, such as rapid, repetitive submissions or submissions with nonsensical or random data, may indicate bot activity. Bots may attempt to flood forms with invalid entries to disrupt services or scrape data.
Abnormal API request patterns
Unusual API request patterns, including excessive requests, requests for non-existent endpoints, or requests that follow an unnatural or predictable sequence, can be indicative of bots. Bots often target APIs to extract data or disrupt services.
Irregular geographic access patterns
If the geographic distribution of website access suddenly changes, particularly if it includes a large number of requests from unusual or geographically dispersed locations, this may be a sign of bot activity. Bots can be deployed from anywhere in the world, leading to irregular access patterns.
Increased load on web servers
A noticeable increase in server load, resulting in slower response times or downtime, can be a consequence of bot attacks. Bots can generate a high volume of requests, causing servers to become overloaded and unable to handle legitimate user requests.
Suspicious user agent strings
User agent strings identify the type of browser and operating system making a request. Suspicious or inconsistent user agent strings, such as those that do not match known browsers or devices, may indicate that bots are pretending to be legitimate users. Bots often use non-standard or forged user agent strings to bypass security measures.
As bot attacks become increasingly sophisticated, organizations need robust protection mechanisms. CDNetworks’ Bot Shield solution provides comprehensive protection against malicious bot activities while allowing beneficial bot traffic to maintain business operations. With over 2,800 global Points of Presence and advanced behavioral analysis capabilities, CDNetworks helps businesses distinguish between legitimate users, good bots, and malicious automated threats.