Website Bot Attacks: What You Can Do To Stop It?

Internet bots are programs that automate tasks over the Internet. The Internet bot is a script or program that allows its user to perform simple and repetitive tasks quickly and efficiently.

What should you do to protect your website from bots attacks? There is no one-size-fits-all bot defense solution since every site is targeted for different reasons and usually by different methods. To begin addressing the problem, you can take some proactive steps.

1. Block or CAPTCHA outdated browsers or user agents

Many tools and scripts contain outdated user-agent string lists in their default configurations. Although this step won’t deter more advanced attackers, it might catch and discourage some of them. Blocking outdated user agents/browsers poses a very low risk; most modern browsers automatically update themselves, making it harder to surf the web with an outdated browser.

2. Hosts & proxy services that are known should be blocked

Many less sophisticated attackers use easily accessible hosting and proxy services, even if they move to harder-to-block networks. A disallowing of access from these sources might discourage attackers from attacking your site, API, and mobile apps.

3. Every access point for bad bots should be protected

Online protection should be extraordinarily strong. Ensure that all points of entry for bad bots are protected if backdoor paths remain open. Be sure to safeguard exposed APIs and mobile devices.

4. Analyze traffic sources carefully

Make sure you monitor traffic sources carefully. Are there any with a high bounce rate? Are you seeing lower conversion rates from certain traffic sources? It is possible that these are signs of bot traffic. You can also ask for local IT support from the local companies that provide immediate support.

5. Identify spikes in traffic

Your business appears to benefit from traffic spikes. Can you determine the source of the spike? An unexplained one could indicate bad bot activity.

6. Failures in logging in should be monitored

Set a baseline for failed login attempts, then check for anomalies or spikes. Whenever something goes wrong, set up alerts so you are notified automatically. Users and sessions won’t receive alerts from advanced “low and slow” attacks, so be sure to set global thresholds.

7. Monitor the number of failed validations of gift cards

GiftGhostBot can steal gift card balances by causing an increase in failures, or even traffic, to gift card validation pages.

8. Data breaches should be closely monitored

It is more likely that newly stolen credentials will still be active. Whenever a large breach occurs anywhere, bad bots will run those credentials against your site more frequently.

9. Analyze bot mitigation solutions

Bots are at the center of an arms race. Bot attacks on websites across the globe are carried out every day by bad actors. In light of the sheer volume, sophistication, and business damage caused by automated threats, bots place a significant burden on IT staff and resources. Traditional security tools can’t detect bots nowadays because they mimic human behavior. For full visibility and control over abusive traffic, consider evaluating bot mitigation vendors that have the industry expertise and vigilant support that you’ll need.

10. Using hidden fields for registrations

Form spamming and fake registrations are among the biggest problems facing an online business that uses forms to register and interact with customers. By using a hidden/dummy field as a trap and hiding it with a good CSS, you can help reduce spambot activity. Because genuine users cannot see the field, the particular field is negated as an indication that the user is genuine.

There is a tendency for bots to fill out all the fields, indicating that they are junk mail or spam. A sophisticated scraper, however, can create intelligent bots that ignore hidden fields and end up spamming forms. Search Engines penalize you if you use hidden fields, as the use of hidden fields is considered bad by them.

Conclusion

Considering that bots are powerful tools in the cybercrime arsenal and are used to attack web applications in a variety of ways, there is no one best solution to prevent them. In order to prevent bot attacks on your website, a variety of precautionary measures should be taken.