Unexpected Surge in Traffic from China and Singapore on Our Websites: Insights and Recommendations
In recent days, we’ve observed an unusual increase in direct traffic originating from China and Singapore across several of our websites. This uptick appears to be characterized by automated crawlers or bots, as traffic reports show these visitors spend approximately 5 to 10 seconds on each page before departing, without triggering any user engagement events or showing signs of genuine human interest.
Analyzing the Traffic Pattern
Key observations include:
– Source Regions: Traffic predominantly from China and Singapore.
– Traffic Behavior: The visitors are primarily direct visits—no referrer data indicating organic search or referral sources.
– Session Duration: Brief visits, with time-on-site ranging from 5 to 10 seconds.
– Content Interaction: No activity such as clicks, form submissions, or other engagement metrics.
– Keyword Data: No Chinese keywords associated with these visits, suggesting automated or non-human activity rather than targeted search engine organic traffic.
Potential Causes
Such traffic patterns are often indicative of automated crawling, which may be benign (such as search engine indexing) or malicious (such as scrapers or bots attempting to harvest data). Given the regional focus and behavior, this could be traffic from:
– Malicious scraping attempts aimed at collecting content or data.
– Automated monitoring tools scanning for vulnerabilities.
– Non-human bot activity misclassified as direct traffic.
Should You Block This Traffic?
Deciding whether to block traffic from specific regions depends on several factors:
– Impact on Site Performance: Automated traffic can load server resources, potentially affecting site speed and user experience.
– Security Considerations: Bots may pose security risks, particularly if they attempt to identify vulnerabilities.
– Business Goals: If the traffic is unnecessary or harmful, blocking could improve the overall health of your website.
If these visits are confirmed to be unwanted, malicious, or simply non-contributing to your metrics, taking action may be warranted. Conversely, if there’s a possibility of legitimate users from these regions, blocking could inadvertently reduce genuine traffic.
Recommendations
- Implement Geoblocking: Use server or firewall rules to restrict access from specific regions if deemed necessary.
- Identify and Block Known Bad Bots: Utilize security tools or plugins—such as Wordfence or Sucuri—to detect and prevent automated threats.
- Analyze Server Logs: Regularly review server and access logs for patterns indicative of malicious activity.
- **Monitor