July 18, 2024 at 07:33AM
As the travel industry rebounds, it faces a surge in automated threats. Imperva’s 2024 report reveals that bad bots accounted for 44.5% of web traffic in 2023. The industry could see increased bot activity targeting unauthorized scraping, seat spinning, account takeover, and fraud. Strategies for defense include advanced traffic analysis and real-time bot detection.
Key Takeaways from the Meeting Notes on Cybersecurity and Bot Attacks in the Travel Industry:
1. The travel industry has experienced a significant increase in bot activity, with bad bots accounting for 44.5% of web traffic in 2023, up from 37.4% in 2022. This trend is expected to further intensify due to increased consumer demand for travel services post-pandemic.
2. Bad bots engage in various malicious activities including scraping, seat spinning, and account takeover, affecting critical business metrics, customer experience, and data security.
3. The travel industry has been vulnerable to complex bot issues, including fare scraping, seat spinning, and account takeover attempts, all of which negatively impact business operations and customer trust.
4. Three categories of malicious bot activity are identified: simple, moderate, and advanced, with advanced bad bot traffic accounting for 61% of bad bot activity in the travel industry in 2023.
5. To address these threats, Imperva recommends strategies such as advanced traffic analysis, real-time bot detection, and implementation of layered defenses, including user behavior analysis and fingerprinting.
In summary, the travel industry faces escalating cybersecurity challenges from increasingly sophisticated bot attacks, necessitating comprehensive security strategies and proactive measures to identify and mitigate risks effectively.