Key Concepts

To understand how bot activity was mitigated, the following concepts are referenced throughout this case study:

• Bot Activity: Automated programs designed to submit transactions at high speed, often overwhelming systems and preventing legitimate users from interacting fairly.
• Cryptographic Signature: A verifiable proof attached to a transaction that confirms it was generated by an authorised source and has not been altered.
• Dynamic Key Rotation: A security technique where the logic used to generate cryptographic signatures is regularly changed, making it difficult to analyse or exploit.

Business Problem

Sophisticated bot networks were targeting this client's smart contract, using automated programs to exploit its functions and execute transactions significantly faster than human users. This created several critical business risks:

• Erosion of User Trust: Legitimate users felt the system was "rigged" in favour of bot operators. This led to high churn rates and vocal complaints within the community.
• Market Manipulation: By hoarding access or resources through automation, bots were artificially inflating prices and damaging the long-term health of the platform's ecosystem.
• Degraded Performance: The sheer volume of bot-generated "spam" transactions congested the network, leading to higher costs and slower response times for everyone.

The client needed a way to distinguish legitimate users from automated traffic without compromising decentralisation or usability.

Our Solution

We implemented a custom anti-bot framework that combined frontend verification with on-chain validation. This created a gatekeeping system that bots could not easily bypass.

• Frontend Intent Verification: We engineered a mechanism that generates a unique, time-sensitive signature for every transaction request. This signature serves as proof that the request was triggered by a real person interacting with the official website.
• On-Chain Signature Validation: The smart contract was updated to validate signatures before processing transactions. Any request lacking a valid signature was immediately rejected, blocking unauthorised automation.
• Dynamic Signing Logic: To prevent bot developers from "cracking" the code, we implemented Dynamic Key Rotation. The signing logic is updated with every frontend deployment, forcing bot operators to restart their reverse-engineering efforts from scratch every few days.

Together, these measures created a robust verification and validation pipeline that effectively blocked automated abuse while preserving legitimate user access.

Results

A secure and fair interaction model for a public blockchain smart contract.

• 99% Reduction in Bot Activity: The solution successfully filtered out almost all automated traffic, instantly restoring a fair competitive environment.
• Fair Access for Legitimate Users: With bots removed, real users were once again able to participate successfully, leading to a measurable increase in user retention and positive sentiment.
• Improved Platform Trust: By enforcing fairness and reliability, confidence in the platform was restored for both users and stakeholders.
• Future-Proof Security: The adaptive nature of the key rotation ensures that the system remains resilient against evolving bot strategies.

The contract now operates as intended, supporting legitimate users while preventing automated exploitation.