Sophisticated Bot

A sophisticated bot is a computer program capable of automatically carrying out a designated task without direct human control.

Sophisticated bots are programmed to imitate human behaviour, for example, by viewing ads, clicking on ads, watching videos, or filling out forms. Commonly used to generate fake impressions, views, and clicks for fraudulent purposes, the bots are installed on devices through malware and can operate in the background without the device user’s knowledge.

Often run as part of a bot network, where multiple bots infect multiple devices to conduct large-scale fraud, sophisticated bots are not listed as known bots on the IAB/ABC International Spiders & Bots List, and they can be difficult to detect.