Bots are rampant across the web – in fact, around 50% of all web traffic is automated or invalid, i.e., doesn’t come from a real user with genuine interest. While some of this traffic is good and useful, for example, search engine crawlers and content aggregators, a high percentage is malicious. Hosting bad bots on your server can result in a plethora of problems for your website and business, from damage to your brand reputation to excessive financial and technical costs.

As a thorn in the side of marketing teams of all sizes, awareness of ad fraud has grown in recent years due to the sheer amount of money it can cost advertisers. In one famous case, Uber discovered fraudulent app installs attributed to its ads had cost the company $100 million. But it’s not just overtly malicious activity like ad fraud that marketing budget-setters need to be concerned about. Marketers must be aware of the potential damage bots of all kinds can do, intentionally or otherwise.

In a recent Technical Showcase webinar, Netacea Senior Data Analyst Paulina Cakalli described how businesses can quickly prove the value of bot management during a proof-of-concept (POC) or proof-of-value (POV) engagement. Evidencing the effectiveness of bot management is important because IT solutions, particularly security solutions, are often costly, require board buy-in, and can be difficult to measure in terms of success. Watch the webinar on-demand now.

Manchester, UK – 22nd December 2021 – Netacea, the bot detection and mitigation specialist, today announces that its parent company Intechnica has completed a new £8.5m funding round with Mercia Asset Management PLC (AIM: MERC). The investment will accelerate Netacea’s growth in the UK and the US. Netacea is a fast-growing cybersecurity business that detects and mitigates against bot attacks that target mobile, web and API applications.

2021 has been a whirlwind of a year for most, with lockdown restrictions easing, businesses re-opening, and people finally being able to see their family and friends in person again. For Netacea, 2021 has been all about strengthening our remote-first team and finally venturing back into the office to meet new and old colleagues face to face once again.

After the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation and shifted businesses to online first, cyber-attackers exploited a broader, more sophisticated attack vectors. The rollout of 5G, reliance on supply chains, and increased use of application programming interfaces (APIs) means businesses have more cyber-related vulnerabilities.

The shift to an online-first world, accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, has made more consumers choose to shop online than ever before. In 2020, more than 100 million US customers shopped online during the Black Friday weekend, resulting in a 22% increase in online spending. Netacea was interested in how people shopped online, and whether they experienced any Black Friday issues in 2021.

With drones now capable of massive cluster displays at events like the Olympics opening ceremony, and being used in sectors like healthcare, what role does cybersecurity play in making these devices safe? In this month’s episode of the Cybersecurity Sessions podcast, Andy talks to drone pilot and experienced cybersecurity expert Frank Jones about the emerging technology of drones, their growing list of use cases and how important security is in their wider adoption.