People accounted for just over 50% of Internet traffic. What does this mean for us?
According to Thales Imperva Bad Bot annual report, in 2023, almost half (49.6%) of all Internet traffic came from bot activity. This is 2% more than a year earlier and is the highest figure since 2013.
Of particular concern is the fact that the traffic of malicious bots has grown to 32% of the total volume, while the share of real users is steadily decreasing. This trend has a negative impact on organizations around the world and is estimated to cost billions of dollars annually due to attacks on websites, APIs, and various applications.
The most common type of malicious bots is specialized programs that perform certain tasks with criminal intent, for example, helping in cybercrime, theft, or fraudulent campaigns. Particularly high levels of activity were recorded in Ireland, Germany and Mexico, while in the United States there was only a slight increase.
According to the report, the development of technologies, including generative artificial intelligence, contributed to the growth of the number of simple bots — their share increased from 33% in 2022 to 39% in 2023. In addition, algorithms become more sophisticated over time.
For example, in 2023, 44% of all malicious bot traffic came from programs masquerading as mobile users. Such tools usually use resident and mobile proxies to hide their true origin and avoid detection.
The report also records the growth of more advanced bots that can mimic the behavior of real people and successfully circumvent security measures. They most often targeted the areas of law, government, entertainment, and financial services.
Separately, it is worth noting the growth of attacks on account hijacking (ATO), which increased by 10%. Almost half of these incidents were directed at APIs. Most often, the victims were companies from the financial, tourism and business sectors.
"Automated bots will soon surpass the share of Internet traffic generated by humans, which will dramatically change the way organizations build and protect their web resources," warns Nanhi Singh, general manager of application security at Imperva.
To counter the growing threat, organizations need to be more vigilant and implement effective security measures, especially against attacks related to API abuse, which can lead to compromised accounts and data theft.
According to Thales Imperva Bad Bot annual report, in 2023, almost half (49.6%) of all Internet traffic came from bot activity. This is 2% more than a year earlier and is the highest figure since 2013.
Of particular concern is the fact that the traffic of malicious bots has grown to 32% of the total volume, while the share of real users is steadily decreasing. This trend has a negative impact on organizations around the world and is estimated to cost billions of dollars annually due to attacks on websites, APIs, and various applications.
The most common type of malicious bots is specialized programs that perform certain tasks with criminal intent, for example, helping in cybercrime, theft, or fraudulent campaigns. Particularly high levels of activity were recorded in Ireland, Germany and Mexico, while in the United States there was only a slight increase.
According to the report, the development of technologies, including generative artificial intelligence, contributed to the growth of the number of simple bots — their share increased from 33% in 2022 to 39% in 2023. In addition, algorithms become more sophisticated over time.
For example, in 2023, 44% of all malicious bot traffic came from programs masquerading as mobile users. Such tools usually use resident and mobile proxies to hide their true origin and avoid detection.
The report also records the growth of more advanced bots that can mimic the behavior of real people and successfully circumvent security measures. They most often targeted the areas of law, government, entertainment, and financial services.
Separately, it is worth noting the growth of attacks on account hijacking (ATO), which increased by 10%. Almost half of these incidents were directed at APIs. Most often, the victims were companies from the financial, tourism and business sectors.
"Automated bots will soon surpass the share of Internet traffic generated by humans, which will dramatically change the way organizations build and protect their web resources," warns Nanhi Singh, general manager of application security at Imperva.
To counter the growing threat, organizations need to be more vigilant and implement effective security measures, especially against attacks related to API abuse, which can lead to compromised accounts and data theft.
