For some time now, bots have been wreaking havoc on e-commerce sites, creating a nightmare for owners who simply want to conduct business and sell goods to their customer base. If bots aren’t buying up limited edition sneakers — making it nearly impossible for consumers to make a purchase — they’re sucking up all the inventory on the latest game console. They’ve also been known to buy up the hottest gifts during the holidays and even creating problems with e-gift cards.

Lately, there’s been some suspicion that they may be snagging high-demand campsites, creating significant challenges for would-be campers looking to enjoy the outdoors at their favorite campground. This is particularly bothersome as we head into the season with long holiday weekends that beckon for outdoor adventures.

The PerimeterX research team has observed previous increases in malicious bot behavior as travel and leisure activity begin to return to some sort of post-COVID normal. This included bots attacks on car rental sites which increased last year as more people started driving to vacation destinations instead of flying. Since bad actors follow spikes in traffic, it’s natural that the current resurgence in outdoor activities will result in leisure websites becoming bot targets as well.

But what about other outdoor activities such as getting golf tee times or a highly coveted swim lane at the community center? These could be the latest targets for bots as well. I’ve wondered about golf, in particular, since I have spent way too many early mornings trying to get a time to play, only to see the spinning wheel of death as the site staggers to handle the 6 a.m. traffic and reports all times filled within 3 minutes. Could someone be using a bot to make sure they get their desired time on the (Read more...)