What are Sneaker Bots?

Sneaker bots are computer programs that are designed to automate the process of buying limited-edition items from online retailers. Users often combine sneaker bots with proxies to disguise their bot software as legitimate customers. This allows them to buy large quantities of items without being detected or blocked by the retailer.

Some sneaker bots are so sophisticated that they can even mimic human behavior, making them more difficult to detect. For example, they may add items to their cart and then abandon them, or browse the site for a long time before making a purchase.

Bots can complete transactions much faster than a human can. As a result, they can buy up all of the inventory before regular customers even have a chance to click “add to cart.”

The Bot Controversy

Sneaker bots are wildly popular, but they are also shrouded by controversy. We believe these bots give an unfair advantage to those who use them because they block regular customers from purchasing the items they want.

Sneakerheads, fashionistas, and resellers love bots because they help them snag limited-edition items that sell out within minutes. But this creates an elitist system in which only those with the resources to buy expensive bots can get their hands on the latest trends.

What’s even more concerning is that some bots are designed to commit fraud. For example, they may add items to their cart and then cancel the order before it’s processed. This allows them to scoop up inventory without actually paying for it.

So, Are Sneaker Bots Illegal?

No, sneaker bots do not break the law. However, if you use a sneaker bot, it may violate the terms and conditions of the site you are purchasing from.

For example, Yeezy’s terms and conditions state that:

"You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access the website for any purpose without our express written permission."

Unfortunately, terms and conditions often do not do much to stop bots from taking advantage of retailers. In fact, one Twitter user claimed they used an automated software called Trickle Bot to purchase 1,132 pairs of Yeezys on Yeezy Day in 2021.

How Sneaker Bots Have Evolved Over Time

As retailers get better at detecting and blocking bots, bot developers find new ways to disguise their software. Sneaker bots became more sophisticated as time went on.

They began to mimic human behavior, making them harder for retailers to detect. Today, there are even AI-powered bots that can learn and adapt to different situations.

Then and Now

In the first sneaker bot attacks, scrapers and bots were separate tools. The scraper collected the information, and the bot completed the necessary actions.

Companies began to realize they were losing out on sales because of bots, and they began to take action. They started rate-limiting the number of requests that could be made from a single IP address.

Attackers responded by making their bots more intelligent. They began using proxy servers to make requests from multiple IP addresses. They also became better at solving CAPTCHA challenges.

Despite these efforts, bots have continued to evolve and become more sophisticated. The most recent generation of bots is powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and can mimic human behavior more effectively than ever before.

Sneaker Bots Aren’t Just for Shoes, Either.

While the term “sneaker bot” might bring to mind images of people waiting in line for the latest release, these bots can be used for more than just buying shoes.

People can use bots to buy tickets to concerts, sporting events, and even festivals like Burning Man. They can also be used to buy limited edition products from brands.

Types of Sneaker Bots

Like shoes themselves, sneaker bots come in many different forms. Here’s a closer look at the main types of sneaker bots you may encounter online:

Monitor Bots

Monitor bots are simple scripts that run in the background and are designed to monitor a website for new releases and send a notification as soon as the shoes go on sale.

Chrome Extensions

These are like the Google Chrome extensions, except they are sneaker bots. These are not as sophisticated, but they are easy to install and use.

Specialized Bots

Specialized bots are much more powerful than monitor bots and are designed to automate the entire checkout process.

AIO Bots

All-in-one bots, or AIO Bots, are the most powerful sneaker bots on the market. They are designed to automate the entire sneaker-buying process, from finding shoes to purchasing them.

Open Source

Open source bots are sneaker bots that anyone can download and use for free. They are often not as effective as paid bots.

Bots as a Service (BaaS)

BaaS is a new type of sneaker bot that’s becoming increasingly popular. You pay a monthly fee, and use the bot in your web browser.

How Sneaker Bots Work

Sneaker bots are designed to automate the entire sneaker-buying process, from finding shoes to purchasing them. By automating this process, they can buy shoes much faster than humans can.

Scraping

Scraping is the process of extracting data from a website, which sneaker bots use to gather information about upcoming releases.

Scalping

Scalping is the practice of buying products and reselling them at a higher price.

Checkout Automation

Once a bot has found the shoes it wants, it will automate the checkout process, entering shipping and payment information.

Denial of Inventory

Sneaker bots often add a large number of products to their cart and then never complete the purchase, denying inventory from other shoppers.

Footprinting

This method involves creating a “footprint” on the website that looks like a real person, making it harder for bots to be detected and banned.

Mass Account Creation

Some sneaker bots create hundreds or even thousands of fake accounts on a website for purchasing shoes.

Brute Force

Bots bombard a website with requests until they successfully purchase a pair of shoes.

Proxy Servers

Proxy servers allow bots to make requests from different IP addresses, making it harder for retailers to block them.

CAPTCHA Solving

Many sneaker bots are equipped to solve CAPTCHAs quickly and efficiently, bypassing security measures.

Cashing Out

Once a bot has successfully purchased shoes, it will sell the shoes to another person at a higher price via resale websites.

Why Sneaker Bots are Difficult to Detect and Stop

Constant Updates

Sneaker bots are always being updated with new features and capabilities, making them difficult to detect.

Too Many Bots

There are millions of sneaker bots operating today, making it impossible for retailers to track and block all of them.

Impact to Online Businesses

Lost Revenue

When bots purchase items in large quantities, it can deprive regular customers of the chance to buy those items, costing companies repeat business.

Unhappy Customers

This can lead to frustration and even anger among customers who feel cheated out of an opportunity to buy a product.

Reputational Damage

When companies are unable to stop bots, it can damage their reputation and customer trust.

Website Crashes

Bots can overwhelm a site with requests, causing crashes and loss of sales.

Sneaker Bots Use Case

In the days leading up to the launch of the hottest new sneaker, attackers share information and strategies in online forums.

On launch day, the attacker uses an AIO bot to make a request to the website and gather information about the shoes. Then it adds the shoes to its cart and completes the checkout process using fake information before moving on to the next target.

How Kasada Detects and Stops Sneaker Bots

The Zero Trust Approach

Kasada’s approach to bot detection focuses on zero trust, inspecting every request to determine if it’s from a human or a bot.

Removing the Economic Incentive for Attackers

Kasada makes attacks cost more to run than they are worth, deterring attackers using asymmetric cryptographic challenges.

Putting an End to Reverse Engineering

Kasada uses polymorphic techniques that constantly change, making it difficult for bots to analyze defenses ahead of a product launch.

Kasada Customer Success Story

The company is a publicly traded global manufacturer of footwear with sales in 80 countries. It faced challenges including server crashes and web scraping.

After implementing Kasada’s platform, they saw an increase in flash sale traffic and elimination of malicious bots.