Bots are smart automated programs that automate certain internet activities to serve valuable purposes, like supporting search engine optimization and customer service. However, the same technology that empowers beneficial bots can also be exploited by malicious actors to pose security threats and inflict harm. While allowing bots for positive functions is ideal, blocking them when they threaten or harm platforms is essential to safeguard web and mobile platform performance and user data.

Bad bot attacks are surging, posing serious security risks and damaging brand reputations. These attacks inflict direct financial costs, steal confidential organizational and personal information, and impact website and application performance. Malicious bots engage in activities such as DDoS attacks, credential stuffing, data scraping, scalping, and stealing payment card or loyalty points. They can also slow websites and apps through traffic overloads, skew analytics, and lead to ad fraud.

Block Automated Bot Threats: Safeguarding Websites and Applications

Detecting and blocking bots requires sophisticated tools that can distinguish between legitimate human users and automated threats. While IP blacklisting and geofencing can be effective at blocking some forms of bots, relying solely on these methods can cause false positives.

The best way to block automated bot threats is to combine strong detection strategies with an adaptive response strategy that can adjust to the threat landscape. This includes implementing detection techniques, such as communication frequency (looking for a high volume of requests over an extended timeframe), device attributes that don’t match declared user-agents or hardware, and behavioral anomalies, including a lack of mouse trails or non-human activity.