Automated bots now account for nearly half of all internet traffic, and while some serve useful purposes, many pose significant risks to both consumers and businesses.

The Hidden Dangers of Bots

Bots are frequently used in phishing scams, exploiting user trust to carry out fraudulent activities. According to Christoph C. Cemper, founder of AIPRM, an AI prompt engineering and management company, these scams can lead to financial loss, identity theft, and malware infections. Beyond direct security threats, bots can also damage brand reputations by associating businesses with unethical activities, leading to decreased consumer trust.

The Alarming Rise of Malicious Bots

The Imperva 2024 Bad Bot Report highlights a troubling trend: bot traffic has been increasing for the past five years, driven largely by AI and large language models (LLMs). In 2023 alone, malicious bots made up 32% of all internet traffic, up from the previous year, while good bot traffic increased slightly to 17.6%. Overall, non-human traffic reached nearly 50% of all online activity, marking a decline in human engagement.

While some bots are beneficial—helping with search engine indexing, cybersecurity monitoring, and customer support—malicious bots continue to outpace these positive uses. The challenge lies in distinguishing between automation that enhances efficiency and automation that facilitates cybercrime.

Bots and the Business of Ticket Scalping

The ability to scale automation is a key reason why botnet traffic is surging, explains Thomas Richards, director at Black Duck Software. AI now enables bots to mimic human behavior, making it easier for attackers to automate complex processes. This is evident in the ticket scalping industry, where bots rapidly purchase event tickets, preventing genuine fans from buying them at face value and forcing them to pay inflated resale prices.

According to Stephen Kowski, field CTO at SlashNext, criminals leverage sophisticated AI-driven tools to evade traditional security measures. These tools make bots harder to detect and more capable of adapting to security defenses, increasing the likelihood of successful attacks.

Why Malicious Bots Are a Growing Threat

David Brauchler, head of AI and ML security at NCC Group, anticipates continued growth in non-human internet traffic. As more devices connect online and SaaS platforms integrate new functionalities, bot-related activity is expected to consume even more bandwidth.

Malicious bots can cause widespread disruptions, from denial-of-service attacks to identity fraud and spam proliferation. The rise of generative AI further complicates matters, allowing bots to impersonate humans with alarming accuracy. This creates a surge in AI-generated spam, commonly referred to as “AI slop”, which drowns out genuine online interactions.

However, Brauchler warns that proposed solutions must be carefully considered to avoid unintended consequences, particularly those that could threaten online privacy.

Detecting and Avoiding Malicious Bots

Identifying bad bots isn’t easy, as most operate invisibly, querying online systems and interacting with platforms in ways that are undetectable to the average user. However, autonomous AI-driven bots that impersonate humans exhibit certain characteristics that can be spotted:

AI-generated text and images often contain subtle errors, such as unnatural speech patterns, misaligned objects in pictures, and inconsistent backgrounds.
AI-generated voices may have odd inflections or unnatural tone shifts.
Social media bots typically display suspicious behaviors, including excessive posting speeds, generic profile pictures, and limited personal details.

In business environments, real-time behavioral analysis can help detect bot-driven activity by flagging unnatural patterns like ultra-fast clicks or automated form submissions.

The Impact on Businesses

For enterprises, malicious bots pose a substantial security risk. Ken Dunham, director at Qualys, explains that once cybercriminals amass a botnet, they can launch large-scale attacks, such as credential stuffing, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, vulnerability scanning, and system exploitation.

Bad bots frequently target login portals, APIs, and public-facing platforms, searching for security weaknesses to exploit. Without effective countermeasures, organizations are vulnerable to infiltration and data breaches.

Strategies to Combat Malicious Bots

Businesses must take proactive steps to mitigate bot threats. Security experts recommend:

Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) to secure access points.
Using advanced bot detection technologies to monitor and block suspicious traffic.
Analyzing traffic patterns for anomalies and inconsistencies.
Blocking outdated user agents and implementing CAPTCHAs to verify human activity.
Limiting interactions where possible to reduce automated threats.

Additionally, fostering a culture of security awareness within organizations can help employees recognize phishing attempts and bot-driven scams, reducing overall risk.

The Future of Bots on the Web

As AI and automation continue to advance, the presence of bots on the internet will only grow. While good bots will play an essential role in improving efficiency, bad bots will remain a persistent threat. To navigate this evolving landscape, businesses and consumers alike must remain vigilant, leveraging technology and education to stay ahead of the risks posed by malicious automation.

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