Why Websites Are Facing More Automated Threats Than Ever
In recent years, we have noticed an unsettling trend – a sharp rise in bot-driven website attacks. From spam form submissions to catalogue filters being bombarded by requests, these automated intrusions are becoming more and more frequent.
The growth in bot (short for software robot) attacks is probably driven by three factors:
1. Automation Has Become Cheaper and Easier
Modern bots can be deployed with minimal technical skill thanks to ready-made scripts, cloud infrastructure, and “bot-as-a-service” marketplaces on the dark web. What once required a skilled programmer can now be done by anyone with a small budget and basic online knowledge.
2. More Use of Common Website Platforms
The use of common platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, or Shopify. While these systems are robust, their popularity makes them attractive targets.
3. Profit and Exploitation Opportunities Have Grown
Bots aren’t always about outright hacking – they can also be used to obtain content, scrape prices, test stolen credentials, or drive fake ad clicks.
The Impact on Businesses
Bot attacks can slow site performance, skew analytics, overload hosting resources and damage SEO rankings. They also drain human time and technical resources that could be better spent on growth and innovation.
Why Me?
This is the question we get asked by a lot of people. It’s a common assumption that if a website is under attack, someone must be out to get the business. The reality is that most bot activity is entirely indiscriminate. Automated scripts are programmed to sweep vast sections of the internet, testing every site they encounter for known weaknesses, regardless of size, industry or location.
It’s like using a giant fishing net. The goal isn’t to catch one specific fish, but to catch anything that swims by. Bots don’t know or care who you are so if your site fits the criteria they’re looking for (uses a particular CMS version or plugin), it gets tested like thousands of others.
This is why even low-profile websites with no visible enemies can face constant automated attacks. Remember, for most websites, it’s not a personal vendetta – it’s just the nature of the Internet.
How Businesses Can Respond
We operate a layered defence strategy: implementing firewalls and bot detection services, monitoring unusual traffic patterns, keeping software up to date, and limiting form or login abuse with CAPTCHAs.
We take this extremely seriously at Realnet and are constantly evolving our hosting solutions to defend against harmful levels of bots.