Bots are normally used to automate certain tasks, meaning they can run without specific instructions from humans. An organization or individual can use a bot to replace a repetitive task that a human would otherwise have to perform. Bots are also much faster at these tasks than humans.
What can a bot do to your system?
- Gather passwords.
- Log keystrokes.
- Obtain financial information.
- Relay spam.
- Capture and analyze packets.
- Launch DoS attacks.
- Open back doors on the infected computer.
- Exploit back doors opened by viruses and worms.
How can you tell if someone is a bot?
The most common way to tell if an account is fake is to check out the profile. The most rudimentary bots lack a photo, a link, or any bio. More sophisticated ones might use a photo stolen from the web, or an automatically generated account name. Using human language is still incredibly hard for machines.Jul 18, 2018