Malicious bots have long plagued E-commerce stores, infiltrating their networks or stealing sensitive user data. As AI usage in cybercrime increases, bots have grown exponentially, leaving many E-commerce websites vulnerable to online fraud. Online fraud prevention relies on using the right tools, and E-commerce store owners must prioritize tools that block and disable bad bot activity. Aside from choosing the right platform, here's how E-commerce businesses can protect themselves from fraud perpetrated by bots.
Prioritize the right bot-blocking features
Most cybersecurity platforms have inbuilt bot detection features but become obsolete quickly due to the speed of malicious bot development. For instance, WAF rules were more than enough to protect E-commerce websites from scraping and DDoS attacks a few years back.
These days, WAF is table stakes and E-commerce platforms need more firepower in their bad bot-blocking solutions. The first step is to check whether the solution effectively distinguishes between good and bad bot activity.
For instance, can it tell the difference between Google's crawlers and a competitor's scraper? Block the former and the E-commerce website will struggle to attract traffic. Good vendors usually have proof of such effectiveness. Their dashboards must also be easy to use, without complicated jargon.
Evaluating onboarding time is another critical task. Some bot detection platforms need time to learn a platform's activity baselines before becoming fully effective. While these platforms eventually protect a website from all forms of malicious bots, they aren't much help if a website is already under attack or is perilously close to one.
E-commerce firms must choose platforms that can get up to speed quickly and learn activity baselines over time to customize protection. Lastly, the platform's solution architecture plays a critical role in its effectiveness.
Some solutions need complicated changes to web apps and DNS rerouting. Companies must choose solutions that offer simple installation procedures, preferably one-click.
Monitor and analyze traffic
E-commerce firms use a wide range of tools to monitor their traffic to boost sales. However, they neglect to analyze that traffic for suspicious patterns that hint at an impending bot attack. For example, a spike in traffic from an IP region, in the absence of any marketing campaign, indicates a malicious attacker launching test attacks to detect vulnerabilities.
Traffic spikes are usually a good indicator of a wave of bot attacks, but E-commerce firms must correlate these spikes to existing activity. Blocking traffic from an IP region after running expensive marketing campaigns only results in negative ROI.
Product launches are another example of non-malicious traffic spikes. Correlating these spikes to existing baselines and current marketing activity is important since it gives them context. Repeated traffic requests from single IPs or a spike in direct traffic without a corresponding rise in PPC ad clicks or marketing event engagement are examples of potentially malicious activity.
Digging deeper into traffic analytics data can yield some interesting results. For instance, a spike in website bounce rates indicates an attacker pinging pages to analyze vulnerabilities. Again, correlating these datasets to existing activities is critical since E-commerce companies must not confuse declining product interest for malicious bot traffic.
However, in the right context, reduced engagement and dwell times indicate malicious intent. These abnormal bounce rates usually accompany slower performance and server response times. Attackers might be overwhelming the website's servers with bot traffic before launching an attack.
Block known malicious sources
Malicious bot attackers use modern data centers these days but plenty of unsophisticated attacks originate from older data centers. Blocking these is a basic, but highly effective tactic. Most bot protection solutions have a list of data centers previously used for attacks that they automatically block.
E-commerce companies can also purchase lists of compromised data centers and block traffic originating from them. Some attackers use reputed data centers such as Amazon to circumvent these blocks. Diverting such traffic to CAPTCHA forms is a good way to reduce bot traffic to a website.
Note that these solutions will generate a high degree of false positives. Legitimate users will likely get blocked as a result. The best way to prevent this situation is to use a top-notch bot-blocking solution.
Blocking or challenging old browser versions is another basic tactic. Less sophisticated bot launchers use old browser versions to infiltrate E-commerce websites. Blocking browsers older than three years and challenging those around two years old is a standard tactic.
Actively blocking bots needs investments
Most E-commerce companies use passive rules to block bots, relying on their cybersecurity platform to do the trick. However, bots are sophisticated these days and can bypass passive rules easily. To actively block bots, E-commerce companies must prioritize them and upgrade their infrastructure.
The tips in this article will prevent bad bot manipulation on E-commerce websites. When backed with the right cybersecurity processes, companies can create a safer environment for their users.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).