What is Web Scraping and How to Detect Web Scraping?
What is Web Scraping?
Web scraping is the automated extraction of data from websites, often done with software. It can serve both legitimate and harmful purposes, like content theft or data breaches.
How to Detect Web Scraping?
There are several techniques and methods you can use to detect web scraping attacks:
Rate Limiting
Monitoring the rate at which requests are made to a website. Scraping attacks often involve rapid requests that exceed normal human browsing behavior.
Session Analysis
Analyzing user sessions and their interactions with a website. Scrapers may exhibit unusual navigation patterns or repetitive actions.
IP Reputation
Checking the reputation of the IP addresses making requests. IP addresses associated with known scrapers or malicious activity can be flagged.
Domain Reputation
Assessing the reputation of the domain or host making requests. Domains frequently used for scraping may have a poor reputation.
Pattern Matching
Looking for specific patterns or keywords in HTTP requests that are indicative of scraping tools or techniques.
HTTP Header Analysis
Examining headers for anomalies or specific values often associated with scraping, such as missing or mismatched headers.