Radware announces enhanced Bot Manager with crypto mitigation algorithms

Radware has recently announced its enhanced Bot Manager, which comes with a new set of crypto mitigation algorithms.

The solution aims to help disrupt attack automation and further exhaust bad actors' resources and motivation to attack. It will also set out to create a new zero-trust posture for publicly exposed web and API applications.

The algorithms were inspired by blockchain methodologies and work to help close security gaps that let sophisticated bots evade traditional CAPTCHA solutions. These bots often cause serious harm to a website or application. At the same time, the new technology enables genuine website visitors to enjoy a frictionless, CAPTCHA-free user experience.

Radware's chief technology officer Dr David Aviv says bots are continuing to evolve at a rapid rate and are impacting a variety of sectors and industries.

"The bad bot problem continues to get bigger for organisations large and small. Bad bots are being used for everything from scavenging concert tickets and stockpiling baby formula and video game consoles to account takeovers and credit card fraud," he says.
 
"Even though CAPTCHAs are a popular mitigation option and work for some use cases, they are no longer capable of defending against today's scalable and sophisticated bots. Organisations must transition beyond a traditional one-size-fits-all solution to a multi-layered defence mechanism that can mitigate even the most advanced bot attacks."

And the problem is continuing to get bigger. Research from Radware found there was a 144% increase in generation four bot attacks between 2021 and 2022. The company says that while usage of CAPTCHAs has been the most popular method of trying to keep bad bots from entering websites, they can also lead to a bad user experience and frustrations.

Bot masters can also now more easily avoid CAPTCHAs altogether with sophisticated techniques, which makes keeping internet properties secure from bots even more difficult.

To combat these problems at the source, Radware says their new crypto mitigation algorithms form the basis for a new zero trust posture for publicly exposed web and API applications. Because the mitigation takes place behind the scenes, it is invisible to visitors, which makes it difficult for bad actors to tamper and creates a better experience for end users.

The mitigation is also continuous, which further enhances security. It works with near zero grace periods to keep malicious bot machines occupied and exhaust their resources, decreasing the bot masters' attack motivation.
 
Companies can estimate the financial costs their business incurs from malicious bots with the new technology. This is based on their industry, traffic volumes, revenue, and infrastructure costs which are put through Radware's bad bot business impact calculator.