How to Block Spam Traffic on Your Website

What is form spam?

Form spam, also known as form or website spam, is a form of malicious activity where automated software attempts to send unsolicited messages via online form submissions. It is a form of attack used by spammers to gain access to and exploit vulnerable websites. 

Why does form spam exist?

Form spam can help create search engine optimization links, encourage visitors to visit websites containing malware, and steal sensitive information from users who submit forms on compromised web pages. 

What is a spambot?

Website spam is a form of attack that is typically conducted by automated software programs, also known as spam bots. Spam bots are designed to mimic website visitors and can be used for negative purposes such as website defacement or stealing data. Spambots exist mainly to advertise products or services that the user has no interest in, as well as spread the message of malicious activities. 

How to Identify Website Spam Traffic

Website spam can have many effects on website performance that you can track to identify possible spam bots. 

• Slow page load speeds occur when website spam consumes server resources, which leads to slower page loading times.
• Traffic spikes occur when website spam produces fake visits quickly over a short period of time resulting in an abnormal number of visitors at once.
• High bounce rates can result from website spam because the bot visitors may not be interested in the website and leave quickly.
• Abnormally long session durations can also occur when website spam visits stay longer on a website for malicious reasons.
• Junk conversions can occur because these bot visits may not be genuine and will not result in meaningful sales or leads.
• Unusual website traffic sources are often seen with website spam as it is difficult to track the origin of these bot visits. 

Overall, website spam has many negative impacts on website performance and should be monitored closely. Website owners should have measures in place to detect and prevent website spam from occurring on their websites. By doing so, website owners can ensure that their website remains secure while providing a good experience to their legitimate visitors.

How to Stop Website Spam Traffic

Fortunately, there are ways to stop form spam from infiltrating your website. One fairly effective way is a honeypot trap, where an invisible form or field is added to the form that only spambots can see. If the bot attempts to fill in the form or field, it will be blocked automatically. Additionally, you can challenge the bot with CAPTCHAs or ask for answers to security questions. You can also employ threat and/or rate limiting, which limits the number of allowed requests per minute from each IP address on your website and blocks any IP addresses that send too many requests in a short period of time.

Finally, you can use a comprehensive bot management solution to protect your website from form spam—which can employ all of the above protection methods along with a powerful detection engine for malicious traffic. 

Conclusion

Form spam can try to push your users to leave, particularly if your comments are filled with malicious links and spam. It can also negatively impact your website performance, causing slow page load speeds, traffic spikes, high bounce rates, junk conversions, and more.

It is important to take form spam seriously and implement the necessary measures to stop it from infiltrating your website, such as honeypot traps and comprehensive bot management solutions. By taking these steps, you can ensure form spam does not affect your website’s performance or security.