What do malicious bots do?

By Bernadine Racoma 

Malicious bots don’t sound good, do they? And, believe it or not, they’re precisely as they sound: malicious.

What are they? To sum up, they’re not little robots. They’re automated software programs that perform malicious tasks, usually under the control of cybercriminals. Studies show they’re everywhere. One recent study found that 73% of traffic to websites and applications was maliciously bot-generated.

It’s essential to understand how these function and their potential effects. Read on to learn more.

Scraping Data

Malicious bots usually do data scraping. These types of bots scour the web for helpful details like the costs of products, land-tenure records, and consumer information. That is something that giant retailers do to learn as much as they can about their rivals. An anti bot solution would stop these attempts, but the problem is that scraping becomes more complex. Scraping could also overload servers, causing web pages to work slowly or even crash.

It not only spoils business plans, but it also has data privacy issues. Bots collect personal data, which is then sold to data brokers and illegal operations, leading to identity theft cases and monetary fraud. To prevent such incidents, many organizations deploy management solutions against bot programs capable of detecting and preventing scraping.

Credential Stuffing

Bots exploited by hackers use stolen login credentials to force entry into user accounts through a process known as credential stuffing. These automated programs input specific credentials that have been previously breached together with other people’s usernames and passwords from different sites, hoping that they are reused on multiple platforms. Most of the time, it does happen like that. 

Criminals, once inside, can take away private information, get involved in scam buying, or perform any cybercrime imaginable.

Detecting credential stuffing is particularly problematic because it resembles typical user behavior patterns. Websites can implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) while looking out for unusual sign-ins as a way of reducing the risk.

Spamming and Phishing

In almost all instances, malicious bots participate in spamming activities, including phishing campaigns. These kinds of bots can send lots of unsolicited messages with links directing users toward some phishing sites so that they reveal their sensitive information willingly. Automation allows attackers to reach millions easily.

Phishing bots use personal details belonging to social media profiles or former breaches to create emails that appear genuine. Sophisticated filtering systems can identify fraudulent URLs in spam emails and encourage users to further click on dangerous links.

Launching Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

Malicious bots have tremendous power to launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. 

Attackers send an overwhelming amount of traffic, which makes servers or websites unresponsive for long periods. Websites can crash because of DDoS attacks, making them inaccessible to legitimate users. Consequently, it leads to huge financial losses for organizations.

Thousands or even millions of devices make up these botnets, increasing the rate at which this attack occurs. Businesses must adopt DDoS mitigation services that can spot malicious traffic in advance before reaching their targets.

Ad Fraud

Ad fraud is also a hotbed of fraudulent ad activities by evil malware robots. Bots can simulate actual user actions on web ads, creating counterfeit impressions and clicks that deceive advertisers into paying for non-existent exposure. Such fraudulent behavior distorts the numbers significantly and increases costs greatly, ultimately diminishing the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and leaving levels of digital advertising suspicious.

Therefore, ad networks and platforms apply complex algorithms to identify and block fake traffic. They also examine interaction patterns that differentiate real user behavior from that performed by bots. Advertisers should also keep a close eye on anomalies in their campaigns that could indicate the presence of a bot.

Regular audits, as well as using third-party verification services, can identify and reduce the effects of ad fraud.

Spreading Malware

Malicious bots spread malware – it’s almost implied in their very name. That involves posting links that lead to malicious websites on forums, social media sites, or comment sections so that users may think they are doing this voluntarily. Once infected, malware can steal private information, hold files hostage until a ransom is paid, or even turn the device into a part of a botnet for future attacks.

To mitigate against bot-driven malware propagation, users should use software equipped with the latest security patches on operating systems or other vital applications. It’s important not to click on links from unknown sources and to employ trusted antivirus programs – but we all should know that. Companies might also use web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems to rule out bad bots.

There will always be issues with malicious bots. The power they seem to have is increasing. It would be interesting to see if, when, and how these bots change their tactics so they can continue making havoc. Have you ever thought you were targeted by malevolent bots before?

About the Author

Bernadine Racoma is the Content Manager of WorkSmartr.com. Her long experience in an international development institution and extensive travels have provided her with a wealth of knowledge and insights to cultural diversity. She writes to inform, engage, and share the idea of the Internet being a useful platform for communicating, knowledge sharing, educating, and entertaining.