How Much of the Internet is Bots in 2024? (Good & Bad Bots)

How Much of the Internet is Bots? A Data-Driven Analysis

Bots, or automated software programs, are an integral and growing part of internet activity. As artificial intelligence and automation continue advancing, understanding the scope and impact of bots is crucial. In this comprehensive article, we analyze the latest bot traffic statistics and uncover the industries most affected.

Key Takeaways:

• Nearly half of all internet traffic came from bots in 2022
• Bad bots accounted for 30.2% of traffic, while good bots were 17.3%
• Gaming, telecom, and community sites see very high bot traffic
• Businesses worldwide lost over $100 billion to bot attacks last year

Let‘s dig deeper into the data to understand where we stand today regarding bot traffic and cyber threats.

Defining Bots: The Good, the Bad, and the Automated
Bots are simply defined as automated software programs designed to perform specific tasks online. They can be "good" bots that help index web pages or facilitate transactions. Or they can be "bad" bots engaging in malicious activities like credential stuffing.

In total, 47.4% of 2022‘s internet traffic came from bots. This type of automated, non-human traffic is growing swiftly as AI and scripting tools advance. However, over half of traffic still comes directly from human activity online.

Breaking down bot traffic further:

Good Bots: 17.3%
These helpful bots aid processes like search engine optimization, site monitoring, aggregating content, and checking backlinks. Their traffic grew from 14.6% in 2021.

Bad Bots: 30.2%
Malicious bots account for nearly a third of all traffic. Their sophistication is also advancing from simple scripts to evasive malware and hijacked devices.

Evolving Tactics of Bad Bot Operators
While still outweighed by human activity, bad bots are becoming craftier and more damaging. Key metrics on their evolving tactics include:

• 51.2% of bad bot traffic now comes from advanced, human-like bots
• 66.6% use evasive tactics to disguise malware
• 17% target and abuse application programming interfaces (APIs)
• 35% conduct account takeover attacks to access user accounts

These stats illustrate the pressing need for businesses to shore up defenses and protect APIs from automated attacks. Just last year, bad bots inflicted over $100 billion in fraud losses and cyber damages globally.

Industries Facing the Highest Bad Bot Traffic
Bad bots don‘t discriminate by sector – all industries see high volumes of malicious traffic. However, some emerging sectors face inordinately high levels.

Gaming – 58.7%
As gaming has boomed into a $200 billion market, bad bots have aggressively targeted popular titles. They farm resources, steal virtual items to resell, and disrupt connectivity.

Telecom & ISPs – 47.7%
Bad bots exploit telecom systems to spoof phone numbers, harvest customer data, and spread mobile malware.

Community & Society – 41.1%
From non-profits to grassroots groups, bots spread disinformation, syphon donations, and vandalize community forums.

IT & Computing – 40%
Technology is the prime target for advanced malware seeking to infiltrate systems and gain remote access.

Business Services – 38%
Bad bots penetrate corporate networks to steal data, distribute ransomware, and disrupt operations. Most malware now focuses on companies over individual consumers.

Geographic Breakdown of Bad Bot Traffic
Cyber threats know no borders, as rising bad bot rates across the globe show. The United States sees the highest volume at 41.8%, down slightly from 43.1% in 2021. Australia and developing countries are seeing huge year-over-year increases:

• United States – 41.8%
• Australia – 16.4% (up 9.45% from 2021)
• United Kingdom – 6.7%
• France – 3.6%
• Germany 2.8%

Rising mobile usage is also driving bad bot operators to target mobile browsers and apps. Currently 39.1% of bad bot traffic originates from mobile, another sign of the growing mobile threat landscape.

Bot Traffic vs. Human Traffic Analysis
Breaking down traffic further by industry uncovers more about bad bots versus human activity online. Some sectors see human visitation still outpacing bots, while others face Skyrocketing automated threats.

Industry – Bad Bot % / Good Bot % / Human %

• Gaming – 58.7% / 4.6% / 36.6%
• Telecom & ISPs – 47.7% / 8.8% / 43.6%
• Community – 41.4% / 8.5% / 50.1%
• IT & Computing – 40% / 12.8% / 47.3%
• Business Services – 38% / 7.7% / 54.3%

Conversely, industries like law, education, and news media still see higher proportions of human site traffic and engagement. But they must remain vigilant as bot sophistication marches upward.

The Bottom Line
Bots already account for nearly half the activity across the global internet. And by expert projections, advanced bots leveraging AI could overwhelm human traffic within the next decade.

All industries need to brace themselves for the growing scale and complexity of automated attacks. Implementing robust bot management and securing network perimeters will only grow more vital from here forward. Business leaders must make bot mitigation a top priority if they hope to thrive amidst the roiling online threat landscape ahead.