💡
Bots now account for over half of global internet traffic, and ticketing platforms are major targets for automated scalping.
YES24 detected and blocked 73.5% of bot traffic using BotManager, significantly reducing abnormal purchase attempts.
More than 60% of malicious traffic came from overseas IPs, with some generating over 118,000 access attempts.
This approach strengthened fairness for fans and improved system stability during peak ticketing events
According to the 2025 Bad Bot Report, bot traffic has risen to 51 percent of global internet activity, surpassing human-generated traffic for the first time. The surge in automated bots is causing significant societal issues, including monopolizing limited goods, spamming forums, manipulating public opinion, hijacking accounts, disrupting business operations, and scraping data without permission.
In the ticketing market, illegal reselling has become a major issue, with scalpers bulk-purchasing popular tickets and reselling them at steep markups. During the recent professional baseball postseason, one case involved 439 separate reservation attempts used to secure 1,374 tickets, which were then resold at prices up to 800% above face value, generating approximately 38,000 USD in unlawful profit.
As a countermeasure, current performing arts and sports facility laws impose penalties only for illicit sales conducted using macros or automated scripts. However, proving macro usage is extremely difficult, and enforcement is limited because penalties can be applied only after an actual resale occurs.
YES24 is one of the largest ticketing platforms in South Korea. Although it began as an online bookstore, the company has significantly expanded its business in the 2020s by focusing on ticketing and live entertainment, diversifying its operations and broadening its revenue streams.
YES24 has adopted BotManager as a technical countermeasure to block malicious macros, which have become the root cause of abnormal ticket purchases and large-scale scalping. The goal is to provide fans with a fair environment where tickets can be purchased through legitimate means. BotManager is a traffic management solution that detects bot activity in real time based on predefined policies and blocks it when necessary.
From September through roughly one month of monitoring, BotManager detected and blocked approximately 73.5 % of bot traffic within the ticketing service domain.
A closer analysis of major ticketing events—including DAY6’s world tour in Seoul, the “Fire Baseball” first fan attendance game, and Baekhyun’s solo concert—revealed that over 60 % of all bot traffic originated from overseas IPs. In some cases, a single IP generated as many as 118,000 access attempts, highlighting a wide range of abnormal access patterns.
BotManager blocked not only dynamic and static detection-based threats but also the methods used to bypass existing security systems, preventing abnormal access attempts and ensuring a fair experience for legitimate users.
It also reduced web-server session load during peak ticketing periods to roughly one-third of previous levels, optimizing operational resources. By blocking unnecessary bot traffic, YES24 improved both the stability and efficiency of its system while safeguarding fair service for users.
YES24 prioritizes building a ticketing environment where general users and fans can purchase tickets through fair competition and legitimate means. The company continues to expand its technical countermeasures to ensure this fairness. Through these efforts, YES24 aims to grow beyond concerts into sports, exhibitions, and other categories, evolving into a unified ticketing platform that provides a safer and more differentiated reservation experience.
STCLab will continue to advance its bot-detection and blocking technologies to support the creation of a fair ticketing system where fans can enjoy their favorite content in a trusted environment. Our goal is to strengthen these capabilities and expand their application across more industries.
[Reference]
2025 Bad Bot Report - Imperva (Link)
Scalper Using Macros Arrested After Reselling 36,000-KRW Baseball Tickets for 280,000 KRW - The Dong-A Ilbo, 2025.11.10 (Link)
BotManager : BotManager ｜ Malicious Bot Detection Solution
STCLab Inc.