Sometimes, it’s hard to notice things right under our noses, be it a ketchup bottle or a whole new dimension. One doesn’t need to delve into string theory to see that; statistics will do. On average, people spend six hours and 38 minutesa day in the digital space, which is more than a quarter of the day.
Our real and digital lives have become almost inseparable. Even when we’re physically inactive, our minds are working, shopping, traveling, communicating, falling in love, and starting businesses, and that’s all for real. But how well do we know the digital space? Is there a place for creatures other than humans? Let’s explore this.
The Fauna of the Digital Grasslands
One thing is clear: humans are not the dominant species online. In 2023, bots were reported to have reached 49.60%of the web traffic volume, and today, with the introduction of AI agents, this amount is exceeding.
As a founder of CATCH, I have encountered many internet species with diverse “diets”, habitats, and degrees of potential danger to humans. AI advancements entail an inevitable evolutionary leap for all digital world inhabitants.
To feel comfortable and secure online, it’s crucial to recognize both neutral and malicious species and know how to treat them. Here are 10 representatives of the digital fauna every internet user should know about.
AI Agents
In the vast digital plains, a new species has emerged: the AI Agent. This extremely smart predator can be found in places abundant with data, like chatbots on e-commerce sites or recommendation systems on streaming platforms. Only devouring vast amounts of data allows them to learn and grow.
AI agents are masters of disguise, responding to queries or actions almost like humans. More advanced versions may be particularly useful for automating tasks, enhancing decision-making, and providing insights that were previously unimaginable.
In the wild internet, some agents can become deceptive and manipulative and get engaged in cyber attacks. Treat AI Agents with caution: verify their source, avoid sharing sensitive personal information without trust, and use cybersecurity tools like firewalls or anti-malware software to guard against malicious variants.
Zombie accounts
Once in a while, a user can pass by the forgotten relics of past activity - Zombie accounts. These dormant creatures thrive in abandoned corners of social networks, the once flourishing forums and corporate networks.
While the species is not inherently malicious, it can turn deadly dangerous if left unchecked. Most zombie accounts quietly retain access to banking details, corporate log-in credentials, or medical data and often become targets for cybercriminals.
To protect against these digital scavengers turning into threats, individuals and organizations should regularly audit accounts, deactivate unused ones, and implement strong security measures like multi-factor authentication.
Scarper Bots
The internet jungles are not the place to let your guard down, as they are teeming with stealthy foragers - the scarper bots. Usually, these creatures inhabit e-commerce platforms, social media sites, and content-rich websites, where they collect information about prices, product details, or user reviews.
Scraper bots were long ago domesticated by marketers, SEO specialists, as well as cybercriminals. With the introduction of AI algorithms, they have become even more sought after by the latter. While generally, this species is harmless, some representatives can act maliciously, overloading servers or gathering sensitive data for unethical purposes.
One can recognize a scraper through unusual patterns of rapid requests or interactions that mimic human behavior but lack variability. To protect against these digital grazers, individuals and businesses should deploy bot management systems and monitor traffic for anomalies.
Trojans
Much like a Gaboon Viper, perfectly camouflaged in wait for a sudden attack, Trojans disguise themselves as harmless or even helpful files, luring unsuspecting users into downloading and executing them.
Their usual habitats are email attachments, fake software updates, pirated content, and malicious websites. Their only goal is to get inside a system, where Trojans can unleash a variety of attacks: stealing sensitive data, spying on user activity, or even granting cybercriminals remote access to the infected device. These are silent hunters, often going unnoticed until significant damage has been done.
If your system is showing sudden slowdowns, unexplained data usage, or unexpected changes in settings, you might have caught (or have become caught) a trojan. Avoid downloading files from untrusted sources, keep software updated, and use robust antivirus tools to detect and neutralize threats.
Bot Crawlers
If the website has suddenly slowed down during your internet shopping, no need to panic: you’ve probably come across a hive of bot crawlers. These digital bees do not sting. Instead, they tirelessly map out the websites, from personal blogs to travel websites, to gather and index information, assisting search engines in organizing the internet's vast territories.
Unlike traditional web crawlers, AI-powered bots employ natural language processing and semantic analysis to understand and extract meaningful insights from complex data structures.
While most bot crawlers are beneficial, acting as helpful insects that aid in navigation, some can behave more like pests, consuming excessive server resources or disregarding website guidelines. Bot management systems prove quite beneficial for protection against harmful crawlers.
AI Chatbots
Chatbots come as both "herbivores," sticking to simple scripts to handle basic tasks like answering FAQs, and "predators," powered by AI and machine learning, capable of engaging in complex conversations and adapting to human behavior.
Generally, they are human assistants that help automate customer support or scheduling, but if designed by a fraudster, they may become their partners in crime, collecting data or spreading misinformation.
Humans often encounter chatbots while seeking assistance online, booking services, or making purchases. To stay safe, users should verify their legitimacy and avoid sharing sensitive information, using caution and awareness to navigate these digital encounters.
Spam bots
Spam Bots infest the digital landscape, leaving chaos in their wake. These tireless creatures roam email inboxes, social media platforms, and comment sections, spreading unsolicited messages and clogging digital ecosystems.
These bots exploit vulnerabilities in websites and messaging apps, often masquerading as real users by spoofing IP addresses or mimicking human-like behavior. While some are harmless nuisances promoting products, others can pair up with Trojans, carrying dangerous malware.
Spotting these pests is usually straightforward - they are overly promotional. To defend against these invasive bots, users should employ spam filters, avoid clicking on unknown links, and verify the authenticity of messages.
Impersonation bots
If you’ve ever noticed suspicious activity on a website or received messages from accounts that seemed too good to be true, you may have become a target for impersonation bots.
Their habitats spread over social media platforms, messaging apps, and customer service channels, where they mimic human behavior to steal data or spread misinformation.
AI has significantly enhanced the capabilities of impersonation bots, making them more sophisticated and potentially dangerous. To protect against these digital tricksters, users should verify the authenticity of accounts with multi-factor authentication and avoid sharing sensitive information without confirmation.
Keyloggers
If your device starts behaving strangely, like slowing down or lagging, you may have caught a keylogger. These digital parasites are hard to see with the naked eye, as they are silently hiding in infected devices, compromised websites, and phishing emails.
Their goal is always the same: to steal sensitive information for identity theft or fraud.
AI-powered keyloggers are especially hard to detect and protect from. They dynamically rewrite their code in real time to avoid detection by traditional security tools. To protect against them, users should maintain updated security software, avoid suspicious links or attachments, and inspect physical devices for unusual attachments.
Worms
In the tangled web of the internet, one can even find worms. These self-replicating creatures exploit small vulnerabilities in websites' code and AI assistants, like Morris II, to spread rapidly and extensively. Unlike viruses, they don’t need a host file to survive, allowing them to move independently and infect countless devices.
Humans may encounter these digital pests through phishing emails, malicious downloads, or compromised networks. They often remain hidden until they've caused significant damage by slowing systems or spreading to other devices.
To protect against them, users should keep software updated, avoid suspicious links or attachments, and use robust firewalls and antivirus programs.
Conclusion
As humanity evolved and enhanced its resilience to environmental dangers, our survival instincts became less intense. We gained enough knowledge about the world around us, so the need to hide and hunt disappeared, allowing us to live safely and comfortably.
The technologies, that we developed, created a deceptive illusion of safety and control over our lives. As a result, we entered the human-made digital environment with a sense of omnipotence, which in reality masked our ignorance. To truly thrive in the digital realm, we should return to an explorer mindset and study its complexities with genuine curiosity.
