What Is a Bot and How Do They Work?

Bots are everywhere on the Internet, from tech support on a website to the web crawlers that work behind the scenes for Google. However, they can be good or bad. Some robots are programmed to make life easier; others aim to execute malicious activities. In this article, learn what a bot is, how bots work, and how to protect yourself against malicious bot attacks.

What is a bot?

A bot, also called an Internet robot or web robot, is a script or software program that performs automated tasks on the Internet. Internet bots are mainly designed to do structurally repetitive predefined tasks. Entities like search engines, web crawlers, and chatbots are all considered web robots because they are automated and operate without needing a human user to manually execute them every time. They also function much faster than humans can.

How do bots work?

Bots have existed since the beginning of the Internet. Because they are continually evolving and becoming easier to create, these programs have become more ingrained in today's digital landscape. These automated software pieces operate over a network. Internet bots work by following a set of rules and instructions to accomplish their tasks.

Technically, Internet robots communicate with one another or with humans using Internet-based service such as instant messaging, Internet Relay Chat, or interfaces like Twitterbots. They typically interact with users or other systems to perform various tasks on the web. They may gather content from other websites or converse with humans in a way that mimics human behavior. Additionally, they can provide instant responses and gather information efficiently.

Different types of bots use different methods to carry out a wide range of tasks. The process depends on their purpose. A chatbot, for example, uses deep learning technologies like automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech, and natural language processing (NLP) to trigger human dialogue and conversation.

As they interact with people and data, Internet bots gain intelligence. They can detect patterns, learn preferences, and adjust their responses to help users.

These robots run on servers that are always functioning, which allows them to complete millions of tasks a day. Though they are continually growing in their capabilities, these programs still have limitations. Most web robots struggle with open-ended questions, complex sentences, and abstract concepts.

Comparing good bots vs. bad bots

Bots can either be classified as good bots or bad bots. Good robots are useful, while bad ones cause harm and pose threats. Consider the table below illustrating the difference between the two.

FEATURE	GOOD BOTS	BAD BOTS
Purpose	To enhance productivity, user experience, and data retrieval	To steal data or disrupt normal processes; works with malicious intent
Example	Examples include chatbots for customer support, web crawlers for search engine indexing, security bots for network monitoring, and social bots for measuring consumer interactions.	Examples include spambots for flooding comments, phishing bots for impersonating legitimate sites, DDoS bots for launching cyberattacks, and data-scraping bots for stealing web content.
Impact	Positive impact, improving efficiency and user satisfaction	Negative impact, causing harm and disruption
Legality	Typically used within legal and ethical boundaries	Often used for illegal activities
Response	Encouraged and allowed	Discouraged and blocked for security purposes
Measures	Measures focus on protecting against bad bots.	Measures aim to identify and mitigate normal user actions.

Good robots offer many benefits, but bad ones, on the other hand, are programmed with malicious intent.

Types of good bots

Good bots are widely used for useful tasks. Some common Internet robots we use today include chatbots, web crawlers, and virtual assistants, among others.

Chatbots

If you've ever communicated with a company's customer service via a messaging app, you've chatted with a chatbot. Chatbots simulate human conversation using several methods, such as natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to user queries.

Many companies now use chatbots for customer service, lead generation, and education.

Web scraping crawlers

Web scraping crawlers extract data from websites by design. These scrapers navigate through webpages, analyzing the HTML structure and harvesting useful information such as text, images, and links. Web scraping bots can be used for a variety of purposes like:

Data mining. Organizations extract valuable information from large datasets, helping them to make informed decisions or identify opportunities.
Market research. Researchers use them to gather large amounts of data quickly.
Content aggregation. The web robots make it easier to collect information from various sources in one centralized location for easy access.

Web crawlers

Also known as spiders, web crawlers are installed to scan content for indexes in search engines such as Google, DuckDuckGo, and Bing. Like Googlebot, they help Google understand the relevance of your web content. By extracting data, search engines are then able to analyze the structure of the content.

Trading bots

Trading robots execute trades on behalf of traders in the financial market. They are designed to analyze market data, identify trading opportunities, and then execute trades based on predefined strategies. The software can be programmed to trade in various financial instruments, including cryptocurrency and Forex.

Many gamblers also make use of these traders due to their ability to execute actions quickly. They are also capable of generating profits in volatile market conditions.

Knowbots

Knowbots, short for knowledge robots, collect knowledge for a user by searching websites to retrieve information. They autonomously collect, categorize, and update data, thus making it readily accessible for all users. Knowledge robots are essential for tasks like web crawling, indexing, and maintaining up-to-date databases.

Shopbots

When you shop online, shopping robots scour the web to find you the best deals and coupons. They automatically apply the best promotional codes at checkout to save you money on purchases from major retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. Well-known shopbots include Honey and Wikibuy.

Email filters

If you use services like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo mail, then you benefit from email filtering bots. These bots scan incoming emails and filter them into the right folders, checking for obvious signs that a message is junk to prevent it from cluttering your inbox.

Virtual assistants

Sometimes called virtual agents, these web robots answer specific questions and make recommendations for your queries. Virtual assistants like Amazon's Alexa, Apple's Siri, and Google Assistant are software bots with artificial intelligence. They can understand voice commands to complete various tasks for you, like controlling smart home devices. These web robots live in the cloud and are accessible through devices in the Internet of Things.

Types of bad bots

Also known as malicious or malware bots, hackers use these programs to automate cybercrimes and other malicious actions with botnets.

These programs often interact with users on social media platforms. They use social engineering strategies to mimic human behavior and engage in conversation with other users. These bot accounts often spread fake news and influence discussions in order to manipulate legitimate users.

Spambots

Spambots flood digital platforms with deceptive messages in order to promote the content of a certain website or online service. Hackers also use these programs to send spam emails with clickable links which, once clicked, illicitly collect personal information on a large scale. Therefore, these pose serious security risks for online users.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) bots

Distributed Denial-of-Service bots overload a server's resources, thus preventing the service from properly functioning. The bots orchestrate coordinated attacks on networks by overwhelming them with massive traffic, rendering them inaccessible.

Botnets

A botnet is a network of compromised computers controlled by a single entity. This group of malicious bots performs various tasks, such as launching cyberattacks, spreading malware, and stealing data.

Many malware creators attempt to plant these programs on network-connected devices that belong to others. In doing this, their actions can disrupt entire systems of computers or computer programs.

Advantages and disadvantages of bots

Advantages

Web bots can help users when it comes to repetitive, mundane tasks. They can take over basic functions, allowing us more time for other more involved tasks. The advantages of using web robots include:

They save time. They handle requests instantly and help balance the workload for human employees.
They are customizable. These programs have many purposes and admins can alter them to perform any number of tasks.
They're faster than humans. When it comes to repetitive tasks, robots can finish the job faster than a human can, saving time for both companies and customers.
They're available 24/7. Customers or users aren't held back by human availability when a company uses web robots.

If you want to expand your reach in a market or need to make resources available to other users around the clock, using robot programs can help you achieve your company goals.

Disadvantages

Though Internet robots are beneficial in many ways, they also present some new, unique concerns about human function and data security. Bots can't match human cognitive abilities; they struggle with complex situations that require empathy, judgement, and nuanced communication skills. This can cause problems as we continue to rely on Internet robots for more tasks.

Furthermore, with the increased use of some web robots, many admins and users have concerns about security and privacy. Bots can be used for malicious purposes, so in many cases, they also pose a potential data privacy risk. Additionally, human programmers are still needed to manage and give commands to bots. They still lack full automation.

How to detect malicious bots

Malicious bots can operate covertly, but there are still several ways to detect a malicious robot attack on your own. Keep an eye out for the following signs, each of which could indicate a malware infection or attack.

A sudden delay in your computer's response times
Unusual data transfers
Unexpected software behavior, like programs opening and closing independently
Disabled firewall programs
Frequent pop-up ads
An increase in strange or unfamiliar emails
A sudden increase in data usage

Many robots or bot accounts steal resources from the real user, which then inhibits their device's performance. Make sure to regularly check for the above signs and symptoms to protect your computer and all of your software applications.

How to prevent malicious bot activity

Good cybersecurity practices help protect your data and keep a bot infection from occurring. To prevent malicious web robot activity, take the following precautions.

Update your operating system and software frequently.
Install reputable anti-malware software on all of your devices.
Install a bot manager to block unneccessary Internet robots.
Use a firewall to prevent unusual traffic.
Employ strong passwords for each of your accounts and profiles.
Avoid clicking on popup ads, banner ads, or sponsored links.

All of these are excellent preventative measures to avoid web bot attacks, malware attacks, and any other threats to your device.

Frequently asked questions

What are the risks associated with malicious bots?

Malicious robots pose several risks, such as data theft, DDoS attacks, financial fraud, spam and phishing, and disinformation.

What is bot management?

Robot management refers to the practice of identifying, monitoring, and controlling the activities of Internet robots on computer networks.

What is a bot attack?

A bot attack is a type of cyberattack that relies on Internet robots and related scripts to cause damage to a device or network of devices. These programmed attacks can disrupt sites, steal data, install viruses or malware, and more.