CAPTCHAs, once seen as the gold standard for differentiating between humans and bots, are quickly becoming obsolete. 

The notion that CAPTCHAs must continue to evolve to keep pace with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is deeply flawed. In this blog, I’ll debunk this idea with data-backed reasons why.

Making CAPTCHAs More Difficult: A Counterproductive Trend

CAPTCHAs are undeniably getting harder, but this isn’t progress – it’s a desperate response to an escalating arms race. 

A recent article by the Wall Street Journal suggests CAPTCHAs must become harder in order to counter advancements in AI. But this completely misses the mark, as solution providers who employ these increasingly difficult CAPTCHAs are barely keeping up with adversaries armed with AI as it is.

Instead of doubling down on increasingly convoluted puzzles, it’s time for a paradigm shift in bot detection strategies.

CAPTCHA Adoption on the Rise

The use of CAPTCHAs across the Internet is undeniable. Data reveals a significant uptick in CAPTCHA usage, with 46% of the top 10,000 websites implementing these challenges – which is up from 36% just a year ago. And in a recent survey, 75% of companies who use a bot management solution use CAPTCHAs.

The (In)effectiveness of CAPTCHAs

The real question is: are CAPTCHAs effective?

Let’s look at some data points to find out.

1. Over 77% of IT and security leaders agree that eliminating CAPTCHAs would greatly enhance the user experience.
2. Forrester Research underscores this sentiment, reporting that 19% of consumers have abandoned a site due to a CAPTCHA.
3. Additionally, 45% of companies identify CAPTCHA defeat as one of the most challenging automated attacks to stop.
4. “An Empirical Study & Evaluation of Modern CAPTCHAs” demonstrated that AI and bots outperform humans in solving even the most difficult CAPTCHAs, rendering them ineffective. In fact, AI solves CAPTCHAs 6x faster than humans.
5. The commercial availability of automated services for bypassing CAPTCHAs at a very low cost underscores their inadequacy in deterring malicious actors. Commercialized solver services, for example, are available for less than $2.00 per 1,000 CAPTCHAs solved.

No matter how sophisticated the CAPTCHAs become, they’re simply not up to the task of outsmarting AI and bots. And consumers bear the brunt of it, grappling with frustrating user experiences that hinder their online interactions.

A Paradigm Shift: Embracing Invisible Bot Defense

So, what’s the solution?

Instead of relying on more advanced “I’m not a robot” or “security” tests, online businesses should consider using innovative approaches that completely eliminate the need for CAPTCHAs.

This is different from other solutions that serve a CAPTCHA only on a rare occasion. Serving a CAPTCHA when you aren’t sure is just lazy. All it does is present an opportunity for attackers to exploit, and in reality, these solutions serve up a CAPTCHA more than you are led to believe.

It’s time for a transformative approach to bot detection – one that transcends the inevitable limitations of CAPTCHAs. Kasada’s invisible bot detection technology offers a compelling alternative that prioritizes both security and user experience. 

Enter Kasada, a Frictionless and Secure Solution to the CAPTCHA Conundrum

Today Kasada detects and stops bots for more than $150 billion in eCommerce, including many of the largest retail, gaming, streaming, and payment companies in the world. We’ve done this without ever serving a single CAPTCHA or visual challenge that could disrupt the user experience. Kasada silently protects more than 150 million Internet users every day behind the scenes – which is equivalent to half the population of the United States. 

By seamlessly integrating into existing websites, apps, and APIs, Kasada distinguishes between humans and bots with unparalleled accuracy.

How do we pull this off?

First, it’s important to note: While we agree with the specific approach addressed in the WSJ article to make challenges expensive for the attacker, we don’t believe it should be at the expense of the end-user. 

Kasada uses invisible challenges that present themselves differently every time – while making the process frustrating, time-consuming, and expensive for attackers – yet entirely frictionless for humans – accomplishing what even the biggest names in tech haven’t been able to solve.

5 Key Benefits of Kasada’s Approach

1. Improved User Experience: Kasada’s CAPTCHA-free solution provides a smoother and more user-friendly experience for website visitors. Unlike CAPTCHAs, which can present accessibility challenges, Kasada’s approach ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can navigate websites seamlessly.
2. Enhanced Security: With AI and advanced bots’ ease of bypassing CAPTCHAs, traditional methods of bot detection fall short in preventing fraud and spam. Kasada’s advanced machine learning techniques provide a robust defense against automated threats. In addition, it can be deployed at any endpoint for protection where the use of a CAPTCHA might not even be possible (e.g. certain APIs or a smart television).
3. Reduced False Positives: Concerns about blocking legitimate users without CAPTCHAs are addressed by Kasada’s invisible and adaptive challenges. By employing an accurate detection mechanism, Kasada distinguishes between human and bot traffic with precision, minimizing the risk of false positives. 
4. Lower Costs: The maintenance costs associated with CAPTCHAs, particularly for high-traffic websites, can be prohibitive. By streamlining operations and eliminating the need for extensive management or configuration, the total cost of ownership is significantly reduced with Kasada.
5. Increased Conversions: By eliminating the user frustration inherent in CAPTCHAs, Kasada drives higher conversion rates and fosters customer loyalty. 

Embracing the Future of Digital Security

The trend is clear: the effectiveness of CAPTCHAs (even the most advanced) is waning, and their impact on user experience is detrimental to online businesses. 

Even the CAPTCHAs specifically designed to fight AI and ML are no match for today’s sophisticated adversaries. 

As we look to the future, invisible and adaptive defenses like Kasada Bot Defense represent the next evolution in protecting against automated threats, AI and bot attacks, and online fraud. Get started and see Kasada in action today!

The post Why CAPTCHAs Are Not the Future of Bot Detection appeared first on Kasada.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Kasada authored by Alexa Bleecker. Read the original post at: https://www.kasada.io/why-captchas-are-not-the-future-of-bot-detection/