A recent report by Akamai Technologies, titled “Scraping Away Your Bottom Line: How Web Scrapers Impact Ecommerce,” reveals significant security and business risks posed by the rising prevalence of web scraping bots. According to the findings, bots constitute 42% of total web traffic, with nearly two-thirds of these bots being classified as malicious.
Web scraping bots, which harvest information from websites, have become a critical concern for the e-commerce sector. These bots are increasingly used for purposes such as competitive intelligence, inventory hoarding, and the creation of counterfeit sites, all of which can detrimentally affect business operations and customer satisfaction.
“Every business with an online storefront relies on web scraper bots to some extent,” said Reuben Koh, director of Security Technology & Strategy for Akamai in the Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. “The challenge arises when these bots are misused, as their similar functions make it difficult to distinguish between beneficial and malicious ones. This issue is compounded by the rapidly evolving scraper landscape, which renders traditional defenses like firewalls ineffective.”
Koh highlights the urgent need for e-commerce businesses, particularly in key commerce hubs like APJ, to adopt advanced solutions capable of keeping pace with the evolving threats posed by malicious bots. This is especially critical for companies looking to expand their regional presence, as they become more susceptible to these threats.
The report notes that AI-powered botnets are adept at finding and scraping unstructured data across various formats and locations. These bots enhance their decision-making capabilities by collecting and processing vast amounts of business data.
Cybersecurity risks
Web scraping bots are often used to gather product images, descriptions, and pricing data to create counterfeit online stores or phishing sites designed to steal customer credentials and payment information.
Akamai also saw that bots facilitate the abuse of new account openings, which recent studies attribute to up to 50% of fraud losses in the e-commerce sector.
Organizations impacted by scraping, regardless of intent, experience numerous technical issues. These include degraded website performance, polluted site metrics, increased compute costs, and heightened risks of credential compromise due to phishing activities.
Mitigation and compliance
The Akamai emphasizes the importance of considering compliance factors as part of a comprehensive response to the growing bot threat.
With the evolving landscape of web scraping and bot activity, e-commerce businesses are encouraged to stay vigilant and proactive in safeguarding their operations and customer data against these emerging threats.
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