Security News > 2021 > December > Grinch bots hijack all kinds of holiday shopping, from gift cards to hype drop sales
All-in-one Grinch bots are working over time this holiday season and using automation to steal gift cards and scoop up limited quantities of in-demand products.
The Kasada Threat Intelligence Team identified these bad bot trends during the online holiday shopping season, based on data from the company's e-commerce customers.
Discovery of a new and more efficient all-in-one bot often used during hype drop sales.
The all-in-one Grinch bots automate the scanning and checkout process for these items.
Defending online retailers against these bots is similar for gift card theft and hype drop sales, but the latter requires scale and instantaneous response.
The only way to detect bad bots from the first request, including new ones never seen before, is by identifying them client-side before bots are ever allowed to enter an online merchant's infrastructure, according to Crowther.