In addition to Malware Bots that do the bidding of a hacker, there are also social media “bots”. These bots refer to automated social media accounts that publish lots of content and infiltrate online communities to try to sway online conversations.
Related Terms: Bots, Distributed Denial of Service
Additional Reading: Are ‘bots’ manipulating the 2020 conversation? Here’s what’s changed since 2016.
Source: NICCS Glossary
What does this mean for SMB’s and Individuals?
Considering the general agreement that Bot accounts did influence the 2016 election we can expect more Bots to publish politically motivated posts on social media to influence the 2020 election.
What is even more interesting or concerning is the possibility of DeepFakes posting bogus or fake videos of individuals saying things they actually did not even say.
A Cautionary Note: in all things online, truth needs to be validated and verified from reliable sources. Social Media is not always going to be a strong source of truth. Be suspicious, be aware of these bots being out there and posting topics that may be by malicious users or not.