The UAE e-commerce sector is more prone to malicious bots and cyberattacks during Black Friday and New Year’s sales, according to a new report by Qrator Labs, a provider of DDoS attack mitigation.
According to the report, the financial sector was disproportionately affected by DDoS attacks, accounting for 42.06 percent of all incidents, followed by the e-commerce sector at 29.80 percent.
This shows a significant risk for customers, who may face issues with their funds or encounter problems while making purchases.
During the sales period, Qrator Labs observed an average increase of 45 percent in bot activity on e-commerce websites, with the UAE experiencing a particularly pronounced surge.
Unlike the increase in customer spending, this surge in bot activity poses a significant threat to the security and stability of e-commerce platforms and fintech loyalty programmes, as these bots launch attacks with malicious intent.
Bots, which are autonomous virtual programmes designed to simulate human activity, can cause extensive damage and have malicious intent, including hacking user accounts.
The risks associated with bot activity extend to both businesses and customers. Retailers, who store vast amounts of consumer data, expose customers to potential troubles such as compromised identities, leaked information on the dark web, and interference with purchases.
For businesses, bot attacks can distort key metrics, undermine marketing campaigns, and lead to slow or unavailable websites.
“To minimise risks, companies need to make proactive behavioural analysis, use security services, and predictive algorithms to counter bot threats, particularly during the holiday sales period. At this time, the website traffic increases due to ordinary users and is strengthened by malicious bots,” Victor Zyamzin, global head of business development at Qrator Labs said.
Key findings from Qrator Labs’ research indicate that 95 percent of analysed bot traffic enters retail sites through unified client accounts, often attempting mass registrations for bonus programs.
Hackers specifically target accounts with active bonus programs, especially those that are used infrequently, recently registered, or abandoned.
In the UAE, hackers exploit old accounts, gaining access weeks before sales to manipulate customer details.
Online retail emerges as the most vulnerable industry, witnessing a 30-fold increase in daily bot traffic compared to the preceding month.
The pharmaceutical sector, which is usually spared from cyberattacks, experienced a massive bot attack on October 29th, with an expected rise anticipated during the New Year sales season.
E-commerce Security: Essential Protective Measures
To protect themselves against these threats, users are advised to employ additional security services, regularly change passwords, use unique passwords for each e-commerce website, enable two-factor authentication, and verify account logins regularly.
These measures help safeguard against vulnerabilities and potential account compromise, particularly during the heightened interest in hacking accounts before the sales season.
From a business perspective, implementing bot protection services becomes crucial in protecting websites, mobile apps, and APIs.
Such measures effectively distinguish between legitimate and malicious bot traffic, providing comprehensive defense against automated content searches, data scraping, brute-force attacks, and DDoS attacks.
Prioritising these security measures is integral to ensuring the protection of businesses and fortifying their online assets against potential risks and disruptions, Zyamzin, added.
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