Attacks by bots on retailers are on the rise, including the worrying growth of “scraping” – where software automatically extracts information from websites. Fraudulent practices can lead to major financial damage for retailers.
Increasing threat
Bots are getting better and better at bypassing traditional bot detection systems, using machine learning and artificial intelligence. No retailer is immune to this. At the same time, there has been an increase in more direct forms of fraud, such as account hijacks and phishing attacks aimed at stealing sensitive information.
Scraping, the practice of extracting data from websites using automated bots, also poses a significant threat to retailers, in terms of pricing strategy and product exclusivity (among other things). Many retail organisations do not even know they have a scraping problem – or they do not realise the impact this kind of activity has on the business, according to a report by internet service provider Akamai.
Here are ten ways scraping and phishing are increasingly harming retail businesses:
