A recent study by Arkose Labs, a fraud control platform, revealed a startling fact: a whopping 73% of internet traffic to various websites and applications was caused by malicious bots. This alarming statistic was drawn from data collected between January and September 2023. The report highlights the severe drain on resources caused by such harmful activities, raising significant concerns.
Surge in bot-related cybercrimes
The third quarter of 2023 saw a predominance of five primary types of malicious bot activities. These include taking over accounts, scraping data, creating fake accounts, managing these accounts, and abusing in-product features. Interestingly, in-product abuse has replaced card testing from the second quarter as a major concern.
One of the most striking findings was the increase in SMS toll fraud, which saw an unprecedented rise of 2,141% in the third quarter compared to the previous one. Another notable area of concern was the 160% surge in attacks on customer support call centres within the same timeframe. The data also revealed a significant jump in scraping activities, marking a 432% increase from the first to the second quarter of 2023.
Advanced techniques in bot attacks
Arkose Labs noted a 291% rise in intelligent bot attacks from the first quarter to the second. These sophisticated attacks often use AI and machine learning technologies to mimic human behaviours, making them more adaptable and difficult to detect. Cybercriminals turn to human-operated fraud farms when technology falls short of carrying out their schemes. These fraudulent activities have been predominantly observed in Brazil, India, Russia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
This trend of escalating bot attacks indicates the high profitability of these cybercrimes for the perpetrators. With the integration of advanced AI, these attacks are expected to become more frequent and challenging to defend against. Previously, incidents like Microsoft's Bing Chat inadvertently recommending malware advertisements highlighted the severity of the issue.
The flip side: Beneficial bots
Despite the alarming prevalence of harmful bots, it's important to recognise the existence of beneficial bots. These good bots play crucial roles in the digital ecosystem, aiding in tasks like search engine indexing, providing basic customer service, and enhancing social media experiences.
The report from Arkose Labs brings to light the worrying dominance of malicious bots in internet traffic. The advanced techniques used in these attacks and the significant increase in specific types of cybercrimes underscore the urgent need for more effective cyber defence strategies. At the same time, acknowledging the positive contributions of beneficial bots is essential in maintaining a balanced perspective on the role of bots in the digital world.
