Akamai Report Reveals Bot Threat to E-Commerce

A recent report by Akamai Technologies titled “Scraping Away Your Bottom Line: How Web Scrapers Impact Ecommerce” reveals significant security and business risks resulting from the growing popularity of web scraping bots. According to the results, bots account for 42% of all web traffic, and almost two-thirds of these bots are classified as malicious.

Web scraping bots, which collect information from websites, have become a critical problem for the e-commerce sector. These bots are increasingly being used for purposes such as competitive intelligence, inventory hoarding, and creating fake websites, which can have a negative impact on business operations and customer satisfaction.

“Every business with an online store relies on web scraper bots to some extent,” said Reuben Koh, Akamai’s director of security technology and strategy for Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ). “The challenge comes when these bots are misused, as their similar functionality makes it difficult to distinguish between the good and the bad. This problem is exacerbated by the rapidly evolving scraper landscape, which is rendering traditional defenses like firewalls ineffective.”

Koh emphasizes the urgent need for e-commerce businesses, especially in key trading hubs like APJ, to adopt advanced solutions that can keep up with evolving threats from malicious bots. This is especially important for companies looking to expand their regional presence as they become more vulnerable to these threats.

The report notes that AI-based botnets are adept at finding and scraping unstructured data in various formats and locations. These bots enhance their decision-making capabilities by collecting and processing massive amounts of business data.

Cybersecurity Threats

Web scraping bots are often used to collect product images, descriptions, and pricing data to create fake online stores or phishing sites designed to steal customer credentials and payment information.

Akamai has also noted that bots facilitate fraud in opening new accounts, which a recent study found is responsible for as much as 50% of fraud losses in the e-commerce sector.

Organizations affected by scraping, regardless of intent, experience numerous technical issues. These include reduced site performance, contaminated site metrics, increased compute costs, and increased risk of credential compromise due to phishing activities.

Mitigation and compliance

Akamai emphasizes the importance of considering compliance factors as part of a comprehensive response to the growing bot threat.

With the landscape of web scraping and bot activity constantly evolving, e-commerce businesses should remain vigilant and proactive to protect their operations and customer data from these emerging threats.