In the fast-paced world of online retail, where customer satisfaction and availability are paramount, a sudden attack by scalping bots can disrupt operations, inflate costs, and damage reputation. A North American Online Retailer faced a month-long bot attack that targeted their inventory system, exploiting vulnerabilities and causing financial losses. Here’s how they fought back and what other retailers can learn from this experience.
The Scalping Bot Threat: A Major Disruption
Scalping bots are malicious automated tools that exploit high-demand, limited-availability products. These bots can quickly grab inventory and hoard it, preventing legitimate customers from making purchases. The online retail platform in question saw an increase in server load that initially seemed like a regular spike in traffic. However, after investigating, the platform realized they were under attack. Bots had identified and exploited a vulnerability in their publicly exposed API, bypassing normal workflows and targeting their inventory.
Early Detection: How the Attack Was Uncovered
The first signs of the attack came when the platform’s team noticed unusually high server usage. Concerned, they notified their security team, who immediately began looking for potential issues. By using Advanced Bot Protection (ABP), they analyzed traffic patterns and quickly detected that the increase in server load was due to malicious bot activity.
The bots were targeting the platform’s exposed API, bypassing authentication requirements to exploit its functionality, scraping and hoarding products, which caused significant inventory disruption. While the bots were not directly stealing funds, they were preventing legitimate customers from accessing in-demand products, causing significant frustration and losses.
The Vulnerabilities: Exposed API and Lack of Protection
The bots were able to exploit a critical vulnerability in the system: a publicly exposed API that allowed direct access outside of the normal workflow. With no proper defenses in place, the bots were able to bypass traditional protections and flood the platform’s inventory system.
The immediate impact was twofold:
- High Server Costs: The bots’ continuous requests drove up server costs, with each request having an associated financial charge.
- Hoarded Inventory: Products were “scraped” and held by bots in virtual shopping carts, preventing legitimate consumers from purchasing them.
The Response: Securing the API and Protecting Inventory
To mitigate the attack and prevent future incidents, the customer worked with Imperva to implement several strategic measures:
- API Protection: The platform restricted access to the API by requiring an Advanced Bot Protection (ABP) token. This forced bots to identify themselves, allowing for better threat detection and defense tuning.
- Bot Fingerprinting: ABP also introduced bot fingerprinting, which uniquely identifies and tracks bots, helping to target specific threats with precision.
- Proactive Monitoring: With ABP in place, the platform continuously monitors for unusual traffic, ensuring that any future bot activity is quickly neutralized.
Lessons Learned: Proactive Measures Make All the Difference
The key takeaway from this attack is the importance of proactively securing all critical endpoints. Initially, the exposed API was a vulnerability that bots were able to exploit. Once that vulnerability was addressed, the platform strengthened its defenses and reduced the risk of future attacks.
Another lesson learned was the need to identify critical endpoints early. The customer had to play catch-up during the attack, and a quicker identification of vulnerable areas would have led to faster mitigation.
The Financial and Reputational Impact
The immediate financial blow from server costs was just the beginning; the long-term repercussions were far more damaging. Scalping bots hoarded products, leaving legitimate customers unable to make purchases, which not only slashed revenue but also eroded brand loyalty. Frustrated customers turned to competitors for their online purchases, tarnishing the platform’s reputation. This ripple effect was evident across critical metrics, including lower lifetime value (LTV), decreased conversion rates, and higher cart abandonment rates.
Why Scalping Bots Target Retailers
According to the 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report, scalping bots thrive in situations where high demand meets limited availability—exactly the conditions that make online retail platforms prime targets. The report notes that the bots are opportunistic and quick to exploit these situations.
Scalping bots are far from selective—they target any industry where demand outstrips supply or where high-value products are involved. All types of online retail platforms are vulnerable, including those listed below:
- Retail: Electronics, limited-edition goods, apparel, and other in-demand products.
- Ticketing: Concerts, sporting events, and similar high-demand events.
- Travel and Hospitality: Flight bookings, hotel reservations, and more.
By hoarding inventory or reservations, these bots drive up operational costs and create frustrating customer experiences. The outcome is damaging, resulting in lost sales in the short term and eroded brand loyalty over time.
Almost 52% of bad bots targeting the retail sector in 2023 were in the advanced bot category.
What Retailers Can Learn
For any retailer, especially those in high-demand sectors, there are several lessons to take away from this attack:
- Monitor Traffic Patterns: Sudden increases in traffic, especially to critical endpoints, can be signs of bot activity.
- Secure APIs: Exposed APIs should be tightly secured to prevent unauthorized access.
- Use Advanced Bot Protection: Traditional bot prevention methods may not be enough against sophisticated attacks—invest in a robust solution like ABP.
Beating the Bot Attackers in 2025
As bot technology advances, so must retailers’ defenses. To stay ahead of the growing bot threat, retailers should:
- Adopt Automation Defenses: Protect APIs and traffic with advanced solutions like Advanced Bot Protection to detect and mitigate bot activity.
- Identify Vulnerabilities Early: Proactively identify and secure critical endpoints before attackers exploit them.
- Collaborate with Security Experts: Work with security providers who specialize in bot mitigation and API protection to ensure ongoing vigilance.
This case is a perfect reminder of the growing bot problem in Online Retail. Scalping bots can disrupt inventory, damage customer relationships, and increase costs. By investing in advanced protection and taking proactive steps, retailers can avoid falling victim to these attacks and protect both their revenue and their reputation.
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