There are more bots buying on the internet than people, and it is concerning

A new report from Radware reveals that automated traffic has reached an alarming milestone in e-commerce, accounting for 57% of all web activity during the 2024 holiday season, thus surpassing human users.

This trend suggests a radical change in the dynamics of online interactions, where the malicious activities of bots have evolved significantly.

Almost 60% of the bots in circulation now employ behavior strategies designed to evade detection. Using techniques such as IP address rotation and browsing patterns that mimic human activity, these bots manage to infiltrate the security systems of many companies.

More human than bots in online stores

With this sophistication, it becomes increasingly difficult for e-commerce platforms to identify these unauthorized accesses without advanced detection tools.

The situation becomes even more complicated with a 160% increase in bot activity targeting mobile platforms between the holiday seasons of 2023 and 2024.

Attackers are using mobile emulators and headless browsers that simulate the behavior of legitimate applications. Additionally, there has been a 32% increase in attack traffic coming from residential proxy networks, making it difficult to implement traditional rate limiting and geo-fencing techniques.

Perhaps the most serious threat is the emergence of multivector campaigns that combine the use of bots with traditional exploits and targeted API attacks, with the aim of completely disabling websites.

In light of this situation, e-commerce providers must reevaluate their security measures. The key is to adopt AI-driven defenses that can adapt and learn, rather than relying on conventional solutions that may be insufficient against these new threats.