What is a Spambot?
Kerry Coppinger
|Cyber Risks & Threats | July 27, 2022
There has recently been a lot of talk in the media about spambots and their impact on social media. Perhaps most notably, Elon Musk has a dispute with Twitter over the presence of spambots on their platform. The prevalence of spambots can be pointed to as further evidence of the Fake Web polluting the internet at large, which can be harmful to both businesses and individual users. But what is a spambot exactly and what other channels do they use to commit malicious activities? This article will answer this question and more.
How is a Spambot defined?
Spambots are automated tools that send out various types of messages at a large scale online. Historically, spambots were closely associated with email, since they were commonly used to blast out spam to people’s inboxes for both malicious and innocuous purposes. While spambots are still used very frequently in the email medium, they have expanded their capabilities to also push out mass quantities of messages on social media and other platforms. One example that many internet users can relate to is spambots replying to posts, leaving comments, or reposting content created by other users.
What damage do Spambots cause to everyday users?
Spambots cause more damage than simply annoying internet users with irrelevant messages. In fact, spambots can be used as a way to send out fraudulent links intended to steal user information, hack accounts, or spread false information online. Spambots also decrease the percentage of genuine interactions happening online which leads to mistrust of the media and create an inaccurate perception of reality.
What damage do Spambots cause to businesses?
The damage that spambots do to businesses is equally – if not more – concerning. When an influx of spambots arrive on a given website or platform without the business’s knowledge, that business will then unintentionally include those spambots in their reporting and analytics tools. That will consequently skew important data that is used to make widespread company decisions. Recent reports have estimated that $697 billion is lost each year due to bad traffic skewed by bots and fake users. Additionally, if bots are accidentally remarketed to, or included in smart campaigns by the company, the business will quickly drain their ad budgets without collecting any ROI. The longer this continues, the more likely the business will reach a point of becoming unsustainable.
How can businesses prevent the damage of Spambots?
Fortunately, there are cybersecurity solutions that can help businesses defeat spambots and ultimately regain the trust of their daily users. This technology is called Go-to-Market Security and uses advanced cyber tests to identify and block several types of digital threats from damaging brand reputation, negatively impacting revenue, or disrupting business operations.
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Author
Kerry Coppinger
Senior Manager, Brand Marketing
As head of the brand marketing department at CHEQ, Kerry manages all things content and brand including: research reports, public relations, content marketing, copywriting, press, and other editorial features. Prior to her work at CHEQ, Kerry worked for several tech companies in New York.
