Bad bots are software applications which run automated tasks with malicious intent over the internet. They scrape data from sites without permission in order to reuse it and gain a competitive edge (e.g. pricing, inventory levels, proprietary content, etc.). They are used for scalping, the act of obtaining limited availability items for the purpose of reselling at a higher price. The truly nefarious ones undertake criminal activities, such as fraud and outright theft. Regardless of what industry you’re in, bad bots are out there trying to put you at a disadvantage – and you may not even be aware of the activity.
Here are a few of the ways bad bots can hurt your business:
- Price scraping. Using bad bots, competitors scrape your prices to beat you in the marketplace. You lose business because your competitor wins the SEO search on price. This does significant damage to the projected lifetime value of your customers.
- Web scraping. Web scraping is the process of using bots to extract content and data from a website. Used illegally, web scraping undercuts your prices and steals copyrighted content. Web scraping victims suffer severe financial losses, especially if your business strongly relies on competitive pricing models or deals in content distribution.
- Account takeover. Bad bots steal legitimate user credentials and test them on your site. If successful, the hackers can affect account lockouts, financial fraud, and increased customer complaints affecting customer loyalty and future revenues.
Download the infographic below for a complete rundown of how bad bots can hurt your business.
Imperva’s 8th Annual Bad Bot Report examines the data collected in 2020 from our global network to provide meaningful and guiding information for those on the frontline of website security. Get your copy today.
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