The Cursor Thinks: How Pauses, Hesitations, and Returns Create the Illusion of Human Presence

[BadB]

A technique for generating mouse trajectories that mimic cognitive processes

Introduction: The Silence Before the Click​

You visit a website. You hover your cursor over the input field. And... you wait.
For a split second — or three.
Then you move the cursor slightly to the left, as if rereading the field label.
You go back. You make a micro-movement downwards. And only then do you start typing.

This sequence isn't random. It's the cognitive trace of the human decision maker.
And it's precisely this absence that gives away a bot.

In 2026, fraud engines (Forter, Sift, Riskified) no longer look just at what you do — they analyze how you do it.
And cursor trajectory has become one of the most powerful signals of humanity.

In this article, we'll explore how natural cursor behavior works, why perfect lines are the main sign of an automated device, and how to generate movements that don't just bypass protection, but convince the system that there's a real person behind the device.

Part 1: Why the Cursor Is a Window to the Mind​

Cognitive stages of interaction​

When a person interacts with an interface, his brain goes through four phases:

1. Perception - the eyes find the element (e.g. the "Email" field),
2. Decision - the brain determines what to do ("you need to enter an email"),
3. Planning - a motor command is formed (“move the cursor there”),
4. Execution - the hand performs the movement - but with adjustments in real time.

This process is nonlinear. It includes:

• Pauses (time to make a decision),
• Oscillations (microcorrections of the trajectory),
• Returns (the gaze/cursor returns to the previous element).

Key insight:
Perfect movement is a sign of a lack of reason.
Because the mind doubts, corrects, and returns.

Part 2: What a "human" cursor looks like​

Analysis of Real Sessions (Forter, 2025)​

Research into the behavior of 10 million users showed:

Parameter	Average value	What does it mean
Time to first movement	1.2–2.8 sec	A man reads an interface
Speed of movement	300–900 px/sec	Not constant - it speeds up and slows down
Number of microcorrections	2-5 per way	Minor fluctuations when approaching the target
Return frequency	1 time for 3-5 actions	The gaze/cursor returns to the previous field

Example: Filling out a registration form​

1. 1.5 sec pause after page loading,
2. Moving towards the "Email" field - with a slight acceleration in the middle of the way,
3. Micro jitter on hover (±3–5 pixels),
4. Pause 0.8 sec before starting input,
5. After entering the email, return the cursor to the “Name” field (check),
6. Only then - transition to “Password”.

The bot does it differently:
Instant transition → direct line → instant input → next field.
Zero pauses. Zero hesitation. Zero doubt.

Part 3: Architecture of the "thinking" cursor​

To imitate a human, you need to recreate three key elements:

1. Decision-making pauses​

• Before the first action: 1–3 sec (reading the interface),
• Before clicking the button: 0.5–1.5 sec (confirmation of selection),
• After an error: 2–4 sec (stress processing).

Rule:
The more important the action, the longer the pause.
Clicking "Pay" takes longer than clicking "Continue."

2. Nonlinear trajectories​

The human hand doesn't draw straight lines. It follows a Bézier curve with natural oscillations.

The parameters of the ideal trajectory are:

• Acceleration at the beginning,
• Smooth slowdown towards the end,
• Micro-oscillations when approaching the target (amplitude 2–7 pixels),
• Random deviations (1-2 times per path).

🛠 Technical implementation:
Use the "human-curve" algorithm in Dolphin Anty or Linken Sphere:

# Pseudocode for trajectory generation
points = bezier_curve(start, end, control_points)
for point in points:
add_micro_jitter(point, amplitude=3)
random_pause(probability=0.1, duration=0.1–0.3)

3. Returns and inspections​

A person often returns to a previous element in order to:

• Make sure everything is entered correctly,
• Reread the terms and conditions,
• Compare information.

How to imitate:

• After filling in 2-3 fields, a random return to one of them,
• Hovering over "Total" returns you to the list of products.
• Before payment - return to the delivery method.

Statistics:
68% of users make at least one return when placing an order.

Part 4: Practical Configuration in Anti-Detect Browsers​

Dolphin Anty / Linken Sphere: Human Emulation Settings​

Parameter	Recommended value	Why
Mouse Movement Type	Bezier Curve	Simulates natural acceleration/deceleration
Jitter Amplitude	3–5 px	Creates micro-oscillations when hovering
Random Pauses	Enabled (10–15%)	Adds pauses before 10-15% of actions
Pause Duration	0.5–2.0 sec	Corresponds to decision-making time
Return Probability	20–30%	Simulates returns to previous elements

Additional tips:​

• Don't use "Linear" movement - it gives away the bot,
• Avoid identical pauses - the time should be random,
• Add an "error" - sometimes the cursor should miss the target and come back.

Part 5: Errors that carders make​

Mistake 1: "Perfect Speed"​

• Problem: Constant movement speed (500 px/sec without changes),
• Solution: Vary the speed from 200 to 1000 px/sec.

Mistake 2: "Zero Pauses"​

• Problem: Moving from field to field without delays,
• Solution: Add a 1-2 second pause before the first action.

Error 3: "No returns"​

• Problem: Linear form filling without checks,
• Solution: After the 3rd field, randomly return to the 2nd.

Field data (2026):
Profiles without pauses and hesitations have a 4.2 times higher fraud score, even with an ideal IP and device.

Part 6: Why It Works – The Psychology of Fraud Engines​

Modern AI models are trained on billions of real sessions. They know:

• How does a person think?
• How he hesitates,
• How he makes mistakes and corrects them.

And when your cursor is too confident, the system asks itself:

"Why does this user never doubt?"

Final thought:
A fraud engine doesn't seek perfection.
It seeks doubt — because doubt is a sign of intelligence.

Conclusion: The Art of Being Unsure​

In the world of automation, the main sign of humanity is not precision, but uncertainty.
Pauses, hesitations, and relapses are not flaws. They are evidence of life.

The golden rule:
Don't strive for a perfect cursor.
Strive for a thinking one.

Stay natural. Stay unpredictable.
And remember: in a world of machines, the best disguise is being human.