How the Twitter Spam Bot Saga Affects You and Ways to Protect Your App 

Have you ever received a spam message on social media? You know, the ones often promoting questionable products or services. 

It’s frustrating and annoying, isn’t it? 

But the spam problem is much bigger than you think and affects you in ways you never imagined. 

In this article, we will talk about Twitter spam bots, how they affect you, and how to guard against them. 

If you’re tired of receiving spam messages, keep reading. 

See: 100 SMS Spam Words to Avoid When Marketing Your Business

What are spam bots?

Spam bots are automated accounts that send messages to other online users. These bots follow other accounts, like tweets, and send direct messages to users. 

Spam bots can artificially boost the number of followers, retweets, and likes that an account has. On the surface, this creates an illusion that they are popular.

These bots are not only annoying but also harmful. 

How bad does it get? 

They can spread malware or phishing links that compromise your account security. 

Spam bots can also steal your personal information, spread fake news, and misinformation.

Let’s see what bots on Twitter are like and what makes them such a nuisance. 

How do Twitter spam bots work, and what makes them bad?

Let’s dive in and learn how Twitter spam bots work and why you should guard against them.

Twitter bots are the unsolicited marketing department of Twitter. They are volatile and can operate in many ways. 

But they all share one common trait. 

They’re automated. 

Because of this, Twitter bots can perform actions on Twitter without human input. 

Think of Twitter bots as a digital version of those inflatable tube men you see at car dealerships. They’re flailing around, drawing attention, and no one knows who’s controlling them.

One common tactic bots use on Twitter is to follow other accounts to gain followers. It’s like a digital version of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” 

Except these Twitter bots do not intend to engage with your content. They’re all about building up their followers so that they can spread their spam messages.

Another common Twitter bot tactic is to send out hundreds or even thousands of direct messages to users. The bots spread these messages in a short period. 

It’s like the digital equal of a street vendor shouting, “Hey you! Come check out my wares!” as you walk by. 

The only difference is that the vendor might be selling something useful. But Twitter bots only try to get you to click on their shady links.

So why do we see Twitter bots as rotten eggs? 

People use Twitter bots to spread malware or phishing links. The malware links are harmful to your computer and your personal information. 

To stay safe from spam bots, you must know their tactics and take steps to protect yourself. 

We’ll look at some strategies you can use to keep your Twitter account safe. But first, let’s learn about the Twitter spam bot saga.

Also Read: What Are Application Security Risks? (Definition, Consequences, Prevention, And Best Practices)

What is the Twitter spam bot saga?

Let’s take a moment to understand the Twitter spam bot saga. 

In 2022, the began with reports of a massive increase in Twitter bot accounts. These accounts were promoting fake products, services, or political propaganda.

So what’s the deal with these Twitter bots, you ask? 

Well, these bots are Twitter accounts designed to do various tasks on their own. For example, following other accounts, sending direct messages, or tweeting specific hashtags. 

The idea is to make spam and disinformation seem more popular than it is by amplifying their message.

The problem with Twitter bots is that they can spread fake news without effort. For instance, spam bots can tweet non-stop to drive traffic to a website selling a product.

They can also use them to scam people out of their hard-earned money. This happens when they promote fraudulent products or services. 

And it’s not only Twitter that’s affected. Other social media platforms are struggling with the same issue too.

Twitter bots manipulate public opinion on important issues. For example, Joe Biden’s drug policies and issues on gun violence in the United States.

And let’s not forget the political Twitter bots that spread falsehoods. A good example is the 2016 US presidential election. There were conjectures that Russian Twitter bots influenced the race to favour Donald Trump.

They can also amplify hate speech, which can harm social cohesion.

Twitter has put up different measures to combat the menace of Twitter bots. One such measure is implementing ways to detect and suspend suspicious accounts. 

How Twitter dealt with the spam bot saga 

 

Twitter is no stranger to dealing with spam bots. Twitter cracked down hard on the bots to safeguard their online community.

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One of the things Twitter did was limit specific actions. Some of these actions include the automation of activities like liking and following. Especially the ones aimed at undermining public conversation.

And let’s not forget about hashtag cramming. A situation where Twitter bots stuff many hashtags into a single tweet for more visibility. Twitter also put a bar on that.

Twitter also introduced new tools to detect and remove Twitter bot accounts. 

What more? They put more restrictions on using third-party apps to access Twitter’s API. 

Besides these technical measures, Twitter increased its efforts to educate its users, especially on how to spot and report Twitter bots.    

They published a set of guidelines on how to identify and report Twitter bot accounts. They followed up with a public awareness campaign to promote these guidelines.

Now, let’s see how bots access your apps and websites.

How can bots access your apps or websites? 

Have you wondered how bots gain access to your apps or websites? 

Unfortunately, it’s not a one-way answer. 

There are various ways these annoying bots infiltrate your platform. 

Below are some common ways spam bots access your apps or websites.

• Web scraping: This is a method where bots extract data from your website. They do this by crawling through your pages and copying the relevant information. Know this. You can use web scraping for legitimate purposes, like search engine indexing. But malicious bots can use it to steal data or content from your platform.
• Credential stuffing: Bots use stolen usernames and passwords to access your platform. Credential stuffing works because many users use the same password across multiple platforms. So, if the bots compromise one platform, they can gain access to other platforms.
• Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks:Bots flood your platform with traffic. This causes your website to slow down or crash. Bots can use DDoS attacks to disrupt your platform or steal data.

Now that you know how spam bots can get to you, brace yourself.  We will explore how these annoying online creatures can affect your application or website. 

How do bot activities affect your app and website users? 

You know how spam bots get to you and how they can affect your business. There is something else you should know. Stick with us as we explore how bot activities harm your app and website users.

• Reduced website/app speed: Bots can overload your website or app with requests. This will lead to slow loading times that frustrate your users.
• Decreased server capacity: The more bot traffic you have, the less server capacity. Inadequate server capacity will lead to delays on the website or app.
• Increased security risks: Hackers deploy bots for cyber attacks, like DDoS or SQL injection. These attacks put your users’ personal information at risk.
• Poor user experience: Bots bombard your users with spammy bot messages. For example, fake reviews or false news. These messages can harm your users’ experience on your website or app.

How does this reflect on your business?

How spam bots can affect your business

Here’s a few, though there’s more.

Lost revenue

If you run an e-commerce business or your business requires online payment, bot can reduce your website load speed and increase your bounce rate.

You can end up losing revenue and potential customers.

Data breaches 

Bots can steal sensitive data. For example, customer information, financial data, and trade secrets.  When this happens, customers will feel the need to protect themselves. 

So this will encourage some customers to stop buying from you. Others may go as far as suing you and your business. 

You’d end up facing legal and financial consequences.

Reputational damage

Bot attacks can harm your business’s reputation. Bots can spread false information or engage in malicious activities. For example, spamming or spreading fake news. 

This can lead to losing customer trust and loyalty, which can be challenging to recover.

Increased costs

Dealing with bot attacks can also be costly in terms of money and time. You may need to invest in new security measures, hire more staff, or work with third parties.

You must be proactive in protecting their apps and websites from bot attacks. That’s the only way you can avoid these negative consequences.  

Also Read: How to Secure Your SaaS Application: 5 SaaS Security Best Practices

How to prevent bots from accessing your apps or websites

We know you have been waiting for this. 

You have learnt a lot about spam bots. Now it’s time to learn how to fight them and protect your business. 

Below are some strategies you can use to keep bots at bay.

CAPTCHA tests

CAPTCHA tests are a simple but effective way to prevent bots from your site. These tests require users to complete a task only a human can perform. 

For example, identifying objects in an image or typing letters or numbers. By requiring a CAPTCHA test, you can ensure that only humans access your site.

Rate limiting

You can limit your IP address requests at a particular period. With this, you prevent bots from overwhelming your site with requests. You also guard against DDoS attacks. 

For example, you might set a limit of 100 requests per hour for a specific IP address. 

If a bot tries to make more than 100 requests within an hour, the system will block it from accessing your site.

User behaviour analysis 

This involves analysing user behaviour. The analysis detects abnormal patterns that could show bot activity. Such as click patterns and typing speed. 

For example, you might notice a user clicking on links abnormally fast. This might be a bot trying to scrape data from your site. 

You can block the bot and prevent it from accessing your site when you detect such behaviours.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A WAF works by analysing traffic to your site and blocking any malicious traffic.

Use a WAF to secure your website. It acts as a barrier between your site and malicious traffic. It filters and blocks traffic from attack sources. For example, SQL injection attacks. 

Honey pots

Honey pots involve creating fake pages or forms that only bots can access. You can detect and block bot activity by monitoring these pages for activity. 

For example, you might create a form that looks like a login but is a honey pot. If a bot tries to submit the form, the system blocks it from accessing your site. 

Besides these strategies, put in place multi-factor authentication. Have any idea what that is? Multi-factor authentication is an effective tool to prevent bots from accessing your websites. 

Multifactor authentication

To make your platform more secure, use multi-factor authentication. It’s like an extra layer of protection where you ask users for more than one form of ID. 

You need a password or a code sent to users’ phones via SMS or Email to grant them access.

Also, using multi-factor authentication helps build your users’ trust in you. They will trust your platform when they see that you’re taking security seriously.

Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Together with multi-factor authentication, you also need a Content Delivery Network (CDN).

A CDN helps distribute your content across a network of servers. This helps prevent a DDoS attack from taking down your site.

Besides keeping your site up during an attack, a CDN makes your site faster and more responsive. 

CDNs can cache content, compress files, and reduce latency. The best part is that all these help deliver content more quickly to your users.

CDNs also improve security. How does it do this? 

CDN offers features like SSL encryption and web application firewalls (WAFs). These protect against attacks, including DDoS, SQL injection, and cross-site scripting.

Here are some other ways you can protect your app from spam bots:

• Update your software and plugins: Keep your software and plugins updated. Staying up-to-date with the latest security patches is an easy way to keep hackers at bay.
• Use a reputable system: Use a reputation-based system to block suspicious traffic. This will help prevent cyber attacks and protect your website from unwanted visitors.
• Good coding practices: Follow good coding practices. By following best practices when coding, you can make your site more secure.
• Secure communication protocols: Use secure communication protocols. For example, the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protects your customers’ information.
• Access controls: Put in place access controls and user permissions. Ensure that only approved users have access to sensitive information on your site.

By taking these steps, you can reduce the risk of bots accessing your website or app. You can also keep your users’ data and reputation safe.

How SMSCountry can safeguard your app from bot accounts

As we’ve seen, bots can cause many problems for your business. 

That’s where SMSCountry comes in. 

As a bulk SMS solution, SMSCountry can safeguard your apps and websites from bot accounts. 

Let’s look closer at SMSCountry’s features and how they can protect your app from bot attacks.

2-factor authentication via OTP

One-time passwords (OTPs) are an effective way to secure your users’ accounts. 

This way, you also get to prevent fraudulent access.  

With SMSCountry’s OTP SMS, you can send unique and time-limited codes to your users. 

This helps prevent bots from gaining unauthorised access to your app or website.

Transactional SMS

You can use transactional SMS to tell your users about their account activity.  

Send a notification via SMS to the user to confirm whether they are attempting to log in. Or, if you detect any suspicious activity on a user’s account, send them an SMS notification. 

You can ask them to change their password or take other necessary actions. 

Promotional SMS

Your users may not be aware of the dangers of spam bots. 

Use SMS messages to inform them about the potential risks. For example, identity theft or financial loss. 

Also, give your users practical advice on avoiding spam bots, like not clicking on suspicious links and using strong passwords. Make sure to keep it simple and easy to understand.

Stay one step ahead of bots with SMSCountry

We’ve explored the dangers of Twitter bots and their impact on your app or website. 

We’ve also looked at ways to prevent spam bots from accessing your platforms. 

OTPs for multifactor authentication is a great way to protect your app and website from spambots. 

With SMSCountry SMS API, your authentication codes are sent fast, and always delivered. 
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Schedule a free demo with us today and see how SMSCountry can safeguard your online assets.