We are thrilled to announce that Imperva has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Bot Management, Q2 2022 report – a trusted source for technology buyers that helps security and risk professionals select the right vendor for their needs in a technology marketplace. The report offers a 25-criterion evaluation of the 15 bot management solution providers that matter most, as well as how they stack up. Download a copy of the report here.
A cross-industry, cross-functional problem
Bot Management solutions have come a long way since their inception. Today, a growing number of organizations are realizing the significant negative impact of malicious bot traffic on their applications. Even worse, these bots aren’t just a security problem anymore, but a cross-functional one, affecting multiple stakeholders within the business. What started as a use case specific to a few select industries is now rapidly plaguing all of them.
Luckily, just as the threat has evolved, so did the solutions designed to thwart it. Forrester recognizes this, stating in its report that “Bot management has evolved from an emerging market to a rapidly maturing offering expected to meet the needs of small organizations with a single application as well as large enterprises with hundreds of them.”
The volume and sophistication of bot attacks is increasing
Bot traffic accounts for over a quarter (!) of all internet traffic today. But it’s not just their volume that is increasing. In the past, bot attacks could be mitigated by making a few tweaks and changes to configurations. However, that is no longer the case. Today, these automated threats we’ve come to know as “bad bots” are extremely sophisticated and versatile. And they are not benign by any means. In fact, they are responsible for the most prominent form of online fraud today – Account Takeover, in addition to other attacks like web scraping, scalping and credit card fraud. They target websites, mobile applications and APIs with evasive techniques that allow them to sneak past traditional security tools. This resulted in a growing need for a specialized tool to manage bot traffic with precision, while constantly adapting to the threat as it evolves.
As a recognized industry leader, with years of expertise in bot management, Imperva understands this. We demonstrate leadership by offering superior detection and a wide array of response options meant to deter attackers and increase their attack costs, rendering them unprofitable.
In their report, Forrester describes Imperva’s Advanced Bot Protection as “strong in both bot detection and attack response”. For that, it ranks Imperva at the top in the current offering category, based on criteria like the range of supported use cases, bot detection, configuration and management, reporting and more.
Looking into the future
We understand that like all other security risks, this is an ever-evolving threat landscape. As a recognized leader, Imperva is committed to continuous innovation and thought leadership in our mission to protect data and all paths to it. Imperva has a clear vision for the future of bot management, earning highest possible scores for both product vision and planned enhancements criteria in the strategy category. In its report, Forrester noted that “Imperva’s vision maps to a detailed and aggressive product roadmap”. Additionally, Forrester stated that “The Advanced Bot Protection vision and strategy addresses the growing complexity of bot attacks, bots’ impact beyond security, the diversity of application architecture, and the move to self-sufficiency.”
What to look for in a bot management solution
In the rapidly shifting and evolving landscape of fighting automated threats, future proofing is crucial. You should select a solution that is adequately equipped to handle the most sophisticated bad bots. It must offer a multi-layered detection approach that incorporates machine learning and is capable of identifying real-time bad bot behavior and adapt. Having machine learning also helps establish a baseline for normal behavior, as well as enable automated detection and response.
You want a solution that can block bots from the very first request they make, and protect all your access points: websites, mobile apps and APIs. Your bot protection needs to include device fingerprinting, allowing it to track bot activity across IP addresses and detect browser automation tools. Such tools are capable of processing JavaScript and emulating legitimate browsers, making them more difficult to identify and block.
The solution must contain cutting-edge techniques, such as injection of active challenges and honeypots into HTTP traffic, per-URL customization and security controls to fine tune protection; graduated controls for rate-limiting, such as by client, device, authentication token or simple IP address; and enable community-sourced threat intelligence to help customers learn from one another.
In addition, look for a solution that understands and supports the diversity of application architecture, and offers multiple deployment options.
Stop bad bots and prevent online fraud with Imperva
Just as the threat continues to evolve, your mitigation strategy should too. Imperva offers bot management that is as adaptable and vigilant as the threat itself. Imperva’s industry leading Advanced Bot Protection is capable of mitigating the most sophisticated automated attacks, including every OWASP automated threat – from web scraping and scalping, to account takeover and transaction fraud. It leverages superior technology to protect all potential access points, including websites, mobile applications and APIs, providing you with various response options for bots. And most importantly, it does so without imposing unnecessary friction on legitimate users, maintaining the flow of business-critical traffic to your applications.
Flexible deployment options include:
- Imperva’s WAAP (Web Application and API Protection) stack, including our best-of-breed CDN, WAF, DDoS, API Security and Advanced Bot Protection working together.
- Full integration with WAF Gateway (Version 14.4 onwards – learn more).
- Available connectors for F5, NGINX, Fastly, Cloudflare and AWS lambda users.
Advanced Bot Protection is part of the market-leading Imperva Web Application & API Protection (WAAP) solution. Start your Application Security Free Trial today to protect your assets from automated threats.
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