Malicious bots generate over 70% of Internet traffic

Between January and September of 2023, bots engaged in malicious activities such as card testing, scraping, and SMS toll fraud accounted for 73% of internet traffic to websites and apps, according to a report by fraud control platform Arkose Labs.

This large increase is explained by the increasing accessibility of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, especially gen-AI, which allows these bots to mimic human behavior and avoid detection. They pose a significant threat to cybersecurity because of their ability to target vulnerabilities in cloud services, IoT devices, and other emerging technologies.

The most prevalent forms of malicious bot activity include card testing, scraping, account takeovers, and the creation of fictitious accounts. However, the research also discovered that more complex attacks, like SMS toll fraud and customer service call center attacks, are increasingly using intelligent bots.

The report also found that cybercriminals are increasingly turning to crime-as-a-service (CaaS) models to outsource their operations. This allows them to rent access to botnets and other malicious infrastructure, which makes it easier and cheaper for them to launch large-scale attacks.

The impact of these malicious bots is evident in the staggering quarter-over-quarter increases, with SMS toll fraud witnessing a 2,141% surge in Q3 compared to Q2, and attacks on customer support call centers rising by 160%. Fraud farms are primarily located in Brazil, India, Russia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

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