Predator bots are exploiting APIs at scale. Here’s how defenders must respond.

The rise of malicious bots is changing how the internet operates, underscoring the need for stronger safeguards that keep humans firmly in control. Bots now account for more than half of global web traffic, and a new class of “predator bots” has emerged, unleashing self-learning programs that adapt in real time, mimic human behavior, and exploit APIs and business logic in order to steal data, scalp goods, and hijack transactions. The economic fallout is staggering: bots and API attacks drain up to $186 billion annually, driven by credential theft, scalping, and fake account creation that fuel large-scale fraud and distort online markets.

This represents one of the fastest-growing forms of cyber-enabled economic harm, and it’s happening mostly out of sight. Security teams can’t afford to le