In Singapore, malicious bots now make up 45% of internet traffic, a significant increase from 35% in 2023, according to Thales’ 2025 Imperva Bad Bot Report.
The gambling, gaming, and automotive sectors are the most affected, with bad bots accounting for 99.96%, 97%, and 89% of traffic, respectively. The report highlights that AI tools have lowered the barriers for cybercriminals, allowing them to deploy bots at scale.
The report further revealed that automated bot traffic has overtaken human-generated traffic for the first time in a decade, accounting for 51% of global web traffic in 2024.
This surge is attributed to the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs), which have simplified the creation of bots, enabling less sophisticated actors to launch more frequent attacks.
Globally, the travel industry was the most attacked sector in 2024, with bot attacks rising to 27% from 21% in 2023. The report notes a shift from advanced to simpler bot attacks, indicating that AI-powered tools have made it easier for attackers to flood sites with basic bots.
Tim Chang, General Manager of Application Security at Thales, stated, “The surge in AI-driven bot creation has serious implications for businesses worldwide.” As automated traffic grows, organisations face increased risks from these bots, which are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect.
The report also highlights a rise in API-directed attacks, with 33% of advanced bot traffic targeting APIs in Singapore. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in API workflows, posing significant threats to industries reliant on APIs, such as financial services, healthcare, and e-commerce. Daniel Toh, Chief Solutions Architect at Thales, emphasised the need for businesses to adopt adaptive strategies and sophisticated bot detection tools to combat these evolving threats.
