Bot Definition
A bot refers to an application that is programmed to perform certain tasks. Bots can run on their own, following the instructions given them without needing a person to start them. Many bots are designed to do things humans normally would, such as repetitive tasks, accomplishing them much faster than a human can. Therefore, according to this bot meaning, not all bots are bad.
However, many bots are designed to cause harm or benefit their users at the expense of people, computers, or networks. Bots can also be organized into groups as is the case with a botnet. With a botnet, more than one internet bot works to accomplish an attack.
How Do Bots Work?
Bots are made from sets of algorithms that aid them in their designated tasks. These tasks include conversing with a human -- which attempts to mimic human behaviors -- or gathering content from other websites. There are several different types of bots designed to accomplish a wide variety of tasks.
What Are the Different Types of Bots?
Chatbots
Chatbots use one of several methods to operate. A rule-based chatbot interacts with a person by giving predefined prompts for that individual to select. An intellectually independent chatbot uses machine learning to learn from human inputs and scan for valuable keywords that can trigger an interaction.
Spider bots
A spider bot, also known as a web crawler, is run by a search engine, such as Bing or Google. Spiders are designed to index what is inside websites to help a search engine rank each site properly.
Scraper bots
A scraper bot takes prices, reviews of products, curated content, and inventory data in an attempt to obtain traffic. Customers get directed to a site different than the one they wanted because the scraper bot harvested this kind of critical data, drawing the traffic to the wrong place.
Spam bots
Spam bots are designed to spread spam. They often have the ability to scrape information, such as contact details, and use it to create fake accounts. Spambots can also run social media accounts that have been stolen.
Social media bots
Social media bots run on social media platforms. They imitate the actions of humans to influence users or markets that rely on social media statistics and impressions.
Download bots
Download bots are designed to download applications again and again, helping them rise up the charts. Once at the top of the charts, the app can be seen by legitimate users.
Ticketing bots
Ticketing bots, also referred to as scalping bots, buy up tickets or other items that are in high demand. The bot’s user then sells the item at an inflated price, earning an easy profit.
