[Term of the Day]: Bot
Term of the Day
"Bot"
Definition — What is Bot and it does?
They are automated programs that are designed to perform repetitive tasks. They run according to their instructions without needing a human user involvement to start them up.
Bots can be:
Chatbots, Web Crawlers, Social bots and can also be Malicious.
The Good:
You can find chatbots on many apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter and Telegram., you’ve probably encountered one on a retail website to simulate human conversation by responding to certain phrases with programmed responses.
One of the typical "good" bot uses is to gather information. Bots in such guises are called web crawlers. Dynamic interaction with websites is yet another way bots are used for positive purposes.
The Bad:
Malicious bots are defined as self-propagating malware that infects its host and connects back to a central server(s). The server functions as a "command and control center" for a botnet, or a network of compromised computers and similar devices. Malicious bots have the "worm-like ability to self-propagate" and can also:
Credentials Stuffing, Capture and analyze packets, Log keystrokes, Relay spam, Brute force password cracking, Launch DoS or DDoS attacks, Open back doors on the infected computer and Exploit, Click fraud and so on.
Bots are usually used to infect large numbers of computers. These computers form a "botnet", or a bot network.
How to Stop Bot Traffic: Basic Mitigation Measures
There are a few simple measures you can take to block at least some bots and reduce your exposure to bad bots:
- Place robots.txt in the root of your website to define which bots are allowed to access your website. Keep in mind, this is only effective for managing the crawl patterns of legitimate bots, and will not protect against malicious bot activity.
- Add CAPTCHA on sign-up, comment, or download forms. Many publishers and premium websites place CAPTCHA to prevent the download or spambots.
- Set a JavaScript alert to notify you of bot traffic. Having contextual JavaScript in place can act as a buzzer and alert you whenever it sees a bot or similar element entering a website.