What is an internet bot?

An Internet bot, web robot, robot or simply bot (an abbreviation of robot ), is a software application that runs automated tasks ( scripts) over the Internet, usually with the intent to imitate human activity on the Internet, such as messaging, on a large scale.

How do bots work?

Bots are made from sets of algorithms that aid them in their designated tasks. These tasks include conversing with a human -- which attempts to mimic human behaviors -- or gathering content from other websites. There are several different types of bots designed to accomplish a wide variety of tasks.

What is a shopping bot?

Several shopping "bots " will track down prices for on-line merchandise from a variety of vendors. Sam Vincent Meddis These bot programs churn away all day and night, prodding at millions of random IP addresses looking for holes to crawl through. Jennifer Tanaka

What is a bad bot?

Other bots are "bad" and are programmed to break into user accounts, scan the web for contact information for sending spam, or perform other malicious activities. If it's connected to the Internet, a bot will have an associated IP address. Malicious bots: Bots that scrape content, spread spam content, or carry out credential stuffing attacks