An explanation of bots

In this video, TechTarget customer success enablement specialist Ben Clossey talks about the different kinds of bots and their functions.

For better or worse, bots are here to stay.

A lot comes to mind when you hear the word "bot." You may think of fake social media accounts or robocalls or maybe even robotic assistants. Simply put, a bot is a computer program -- one that makes decisions for a user or other program or one that simulates human activity. Their function is ultimately determined by programmers, who can use them for professional or malicious purposes.

Bots come in many different forms, which we'll discuss here. But real damage can be done when the bots are interlinked. For an overview of botnets, click the link above or in the description below, and subscribe to Eye On Tech for more videos on all things business tech.

Bots have the ability to carry out repetitive tasks at a faster rate than humans, so they're often used by organizations to optimize workflows. Chatbots, spiders and transactional bots are some of the most common.

Chatbots simulate human conversation, often employing advanced machine learning and natural language processing as well as predetermined scripts, especially in a customer service context.

Spiders, also known as web crawlers, are some of the most ubiquitous bots on the internet. These are programs that access websites and scrape content for search engine indexes to improve an organization's SEO.

Transactional bots simplify tasks such as confirming hours of operation, canceling an online order or freezing a stolen credit card.

Of course, bots can also be dangerous. Malicious bots typically come in the form of distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, bots; spambots; and hackers.

DDoS bots overload servers with traffic to prevent legitimate users from accessing a website. These attacks typically direct public attention at specific groups or causes, so they're often used for political purposes.

A spambot is an automated system that sends unsolicited messages to users. Spambots typically present themselves as social media accounts that spam users with comments, direct messages or product advertisements.

And finally, hackers can infect devices with malicious code and effectively turn a victim's phone or computer into a bot that then becomes part of a network of infected devices -- a botnet -- controlled by a single attacker or attack group.

Given their pervasiveness, it's important to know how to recognize bots. Common signs include applications and internet connection running slower than normal, pop-up spam appearing while disconnected from the internet, and a computer sending messages to contacts without the user's knowledge.

Preventing these attacks requires sound cybersecurity practices, like installing a bot manager and antimalware software, using a firewall, regularly changing passwords, and more.

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Tommy Everson is an assistant editor for video content at TechTarget. He assists in content creation for TechTarget's YouTube channel and TikTok page.