• Technologies
    • Networking
    • Cybersecurity
    • Collaboration
    • Edge Cloud
    • Managed & Professional Services
    • SASE
  • Customer Stories
  • Insights
    • Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR)
    • Customer Experience
    • Data-Driven Business
    • Operational Efficiency
    • Tech Trends
  • Industries
    • Financial Services
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing
    • Media & Entertainment
    • Public Sector
    • Higher Education
    • Retail
    • Technology
  • About Lumen
    • Black Lotus Labs
    • Leadership Perspectives
    • Newsroom
    • News Spotlights
  • Technologies
    • Networking
    • Cybersecurity
    • Collaboration
    • Edge Cloud
    • Managed & Professional Services
    • SASE
  • Customer Stories
  • Insights
    • Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR)
    • Customer Experience
    • Data-Driven Business
    • Operational Efficiency
    • Tech Trends
  • Industries
    • Financial Services
    • Gaming
    • Healthcare
    • Manufacturing
    • Media & Entertainment
    • Public Sector
    • Higher Education
    • Retail
    • Technology
  • About Lumen
    • Black Lotus Labs
    • Leadership Perspectives
    • Newsroom
    • News Spotlights

Are Sophisticated Bots Knocking Down Your WAF?

Robert Kusters Posted On May 25, 2022
0
11.2K Views


0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It

Person looking at laptop with a concerned expression

Based on the latest Cyberthreat Defense Report, over 85% of organizations have been the victim of at least one cyberattack in the last year and over 40% have been breached multiple times. With credential stuffing and account takeover (ATO) on the rise, many organizations have implemented web application firewalls (WAFs) to protect their web attack surface. WAFs are a main component of security infrastructures and protect from many attack techniques: cross-site scripting, SQL injection, buffer overflow and DDoS attacks. But when it comes to bots, WAFs just don’t measure up.

Better Bots

WAFs were built to determine if traffic should be blocked or not based on a blocklist. These solutions do not inspect the traffic to determine if it is malicious or safe. Attackers have shifted their attacks to use advanced bots without the signatures that WAFs typically use to determine what action to take. Bots are evolving in real-time to elude WAF policies which includes learning how to mimic human behavior. They often present as legitimate users, piggybacking on real users’ identities. Lastly, bot operators have also gotten smarter, distributing attacks from multiple IPs across geographical locations, making it even more difficult to determine if traffic is human or bot.

Better Architecture Means Bigger Risks

The rise of distributed architectures, bots as a service and third-party APIs are further putting digital businesses at risk of bot attacks. Credential stuffing, ATO and carding are serious threats to a digital business’s reputation and bottom line. Companies that are victims of these attacks are often portrayed in the media as not trustworthy and as putting their customers at risk. Customers tend to view their websites as unsecure or dangerous and choose to shop elsewhere.

The Solution

Along with implementing WAF solutions, digital businesses should make bot mitigation a top priority. Machine learning and behavior-based analytics, fingerprinting and monitoring network characteristics are the most effective and accurate methods to staying one step ahead of bots.

The risk of ATO is too great to leave stopping bad bots to chance. HUMAN (formerly PerimeterX) Bot Defender on Lumen mitigates malicious bots at the edge, stopping ATO and credential stuffing attacks. Pre-integrated into the Lumen global edge, Bot Defender can be up and running in a matter of hours, without requiring complex development work. Thwarting the next bot attack with a proactive solution is key to keeping you and your users protected.

Learn how to better protect your digital business from costly bot attacks in this white paper. Then explore our web application firewall service to find a solution.

LEARN MORE

This document is provided for informational purposes only and may require additional research and substantiation by the end user. In addition, the information is provided “as is” without any warranty or condition of any kind, either express or implied. Use of this information is at the end user’s own risk. Lumen does not warrant that the information will meet the end user’s requirements or that the implementation or usage of this information will result in the desired outcome of the end user. This document represents Lumen products and offerings as of the date of issue.

Post Views: 11,244

Related posts:

  1. What is API Protection?
  2. Organizations are Secure at the Edge
  3. The Dos and Don’ts of Cloud Security
  4. What is Web Application Firewall (WAF)?
0
Shares
  • Share On Facebook
  • Tweet It


Application ProtectionBotnetNetwork Security


Author

Robert Kusters

Robert is responsible for the development and execution of product marketing strategies and plans for PerimeterX security offerings. He has over 25 years of full product life-cycle management experience in computer networking, security and identity. Robert has served as a Product Marketing and Product Management professional for leading technology companies including McAfee, Nokia, Symantec and Citrix.

Trending Now
Beyond the Finish Line: How Churchill Downs Racetrack Harnesses Advanced Network Solutions for Seamless Kentucky Derby® Operations
Lumen Customer Stories Team April 23, 2025
Announcing the Lumen strategic partnership with Google Cloud: Transforming the future of cloud and network solutions
Lumen April 9, 2025
You may also like
SASE Isn’t Here To Replace MPLS VPN, Despite What You’ve Heard
April 11, 2025
Building Trust Through Innovation: Massey Services Optimizes Agile Operations for Seamless Service and Safer Communities
April 9, 2025
Bridging the Cybersecurity Communication Gap Between IT Directors and Business Leaders
March 19, 2025
Higher-education regional networks help address the rural middle mile challenge
Read Next

Higher-education regional networks help address the rural middle mile challenge

  • Categories

    Adaptive Networking

    Connected Security

    Hybrid Cloud

    Communications and Collaboration

    Edge Computing

    SASE


  • Lumen is unleashing the world’s digital potential. We ignite business growth by connecting people, data, and applications – quickly, securely, and effortlessly. As the trusted network for AI, Lumen uses the scale of our network to help companies realize AI’s full potential. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, managed service, and digital platform capabilities, we meet our customers’ needs today and as they build for tomorrow.

Services not available everywhere. ©2025 Lumen Technologies. All Rights Reserved.
Press enter/return to begin your search