Need some help. The site is getting hit by tons of bots. They keep accessing pages such as

/favicon.ico

/wp-content/themes/omega/style.css?ver=5.7.2

/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php

/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screenshot_481.png?v=1593604892

and other similar ones.

Whats the best way to stop them?

Here's an approach to help you mitigate this issue:

Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF): Implementing a WAF can help block malicious traffic before it even reaches your site. Services like Cloudflare or Sucuri offer WAFs that are effective at filtering out bots.

Rate Limiting: Configure your server to limit the number of requests from a single IP address. This can be done through your server's configuration or by using plugins if you're on a platform like WordPress.

Robots.txt: Although not foolproof, you can use the robots.txt file to disallow bots from accessing certain parts of your site. Keep in mind that malicious bots often ignore this file.

Security Plugins: If you're using WordPress, consider plugins like Wordfence or All In One WP Security & Firewall. These can help detect and block suspicious activity.

IP Blocking: Identify the IP addresses generating the most traffic and block them. This can be done via your server's firewall or through security plugins.

CAPTCHA: Implement CAPTCHA on forms and login pages to ensure that requests are coming from humans, not bots.

Monitor Traffic: Use tools like Google Analytics or server logs to monitor traffic patterns. This can help identify unusual activity and adjust your defenses accordingly.

Update and Patch: Ensure your site and all plugins/themes are updated to the latest versions to protect against vulnerabilities that bots might exploit.

CDN Services: Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) can absorb and mitigate bot traffic, reducing the load on your server.

Custom Scripts: If you're comfortable with coding, you can write custom scripts to identify and block bots based on specific patterns in their requests.

Inspect the bot's IP address and figure out the network it's coming from. If it's identified as a hosting provider, just block the whole network. Next, examine the bot's User Agent string. If it doesn't match what you expect for your site, go ahead and block that too. Also, make sure you update your firewall rules regularly to prevent unwanted access.

Sometimes, only search bots and parsers find certain things interesting. For example, Googlebot often lurks around in the templates directory. If there are any poorly coded plugins hanging around, especially those related to caching, it might get stuck there.

It's essential to pinpoint issues at the template level rather than just trying to ward off bots with quick fixes. Ensuring that your code is clean and efficient can prevent these kinds of problems from arising in the first place.

Blocking unwanted bots is essential for website security and performance. Techniques include using CAPTCHA challenges to verify human users, implementing rate limiting to control traffic flow, and deploying firewalls or bot management tools to detect and block malicious bots. Another method is creating robots.txt files to control which bots access certain areas of the site. Regular monitoring of website traffic helps in identifying unusual bot activity, ensuring only legitimate users interact with your site. Effective bot management reduces spam, improves site speed, and enhances security.