When it comes to launching a cyberattack, criminals always take the path of least resistance. This means attacking the most vulnerable sites using the fewest resources possible. And with so many websites to choose from as potential targets, they will gravitate towards those that offer the easiest trajectory to financial reward.

Every additional second a fraudster wastes trying to get past a defense mechanism makes your site less appealing. Making your site less attractive to cybercriminals will help you avoid being targeted in the first place — protecting your brand’s reputation and revenue.

Launching automated cyberattacks is cheap and easy

There are more than 15 billion stolen credentials up for sale on the dark web, with some lists going for as little as $2. Botnets can be rented for under $10 an hour for use in credential stuffing and carding attacks. Furthermore, compromised accounts can go for less than $100. The emerging crime as a service (CaaS) ecosystem makes it easy for amateur cybercriminals to get started, offering cheap programs and tutorials for launching your own bot or malware attack.

With so much value held in accounts — such as stored credit card numbers, account credits, gift card balances and personally identifiable information (PII) — there is a lot to gain and little to lose from launching a cyberattack. Thus, the question for many sites is not if they will be attacked, but when.

How to disrupt the web attack lifecycle

Blocking bots is critical and necessary to stop cyberattacks as they are happening. However, simply blocking bots does not deter ongoing or future attacks against your site. The best long-term strategy combines proactive, real-time and reactive measures to disrupt the cycle of cyberattacks and disincent cybercriminals from targeting your business.

As mentioned earlier, if fraudsters lose too much time (Read more...)