Introduction:
In 2022, bots accounted for a significant portion of internet traffic, contributing to 47.4% of the total volume. This marked a 5.1% increase from the previous year, while human traffic decreased to its lowest point in eight years, making it essential for businesses to understand the impact of this trend. In this blog post, we’ll explore the key findings from the 2022 report by Imperva, shedding light on the evolving landscape of internet traffic and the rise of automated bot technology.
Key Findings:
- Increased Bot Traffic: The report highlights a steady growth in bad bot traffic, reaching 30.2% in 2022, demonstrating the capabilities of these malicious automated applications.
- Advanced Bot Technology: A significant shift was observed in the sophistication of bad bot traffic, with advanced bots accounting for 51.2% in 2022, compared to 25.9% in the previous year.
- Account Takeover Attacks: Account takeover (ATO) attacks experienced a staggering 155% increase in 2022, with 15% of all login attempts across industries falling into this category.
- API Abuse: Bad bots targeting APIs accounted for 17% of all attacks, highlighting the exploitation of business logic. Furthermore, 35% of account takeover attacks specifically targeted APIs.
- Industry Vulnerabilities: The sectors most affected by bot attacks were travel (24.7%), retail (21%), and financial services (12.7%). Gaming (58.7%) and telecommunications (47.7%) had the highest proportions of bad bot traffic.
- Global Bot Traffic: Among the 13 countries analyzed, seven surpassed the global average of 30.2% for bad bot traffic. Germany (68.6%), Ireland (45.1%), and Singapore (43.1%) topped the list, while the U.S. also exceeded the average at 32.1%.
- Mobile Safari as the Preferred Browser: One in five bad bots (20%) utilized Mobile Safari as their browser of choice in 2022, compared to 16.1% in the previous year.
Conclusion:
The findings from the 2022 report by Imperva shed light on the growing influence of bots on internet traffic. With bad bot traffic on the rise and increasingly advanced in their operations, businesses need to prioritize security measures and stay vigilant against account takeover attacks and API abuse. Understanding the vulnerability of different industries to bot attacks and the regional variances in bot traffic is crucial for developing effective mitigation strategies. By acknowledging the prominence of Mobile Safari as a preferred browser for bad bots, businesses can enhance their defense mechanisms and safeguard their online platforms from malicious activity.
Reference: https://bit.ly/43avMOR