Definition
Screen scraping is the process of extracting data from a website or application’s screen or GUI and converting it into a structured format for further processing.
Organizations usually opt for screen scraping when they cannot access readily available data in files or databases. While screen scraping can help organizations in many ways, fraudsters can maliciously use it to harvest sensitive data or steal login credentials.
Screen scraping may also raise legal and ethical concerns, especially when scraping data from third-party websites without consent.
Screen Scraping Pros
- Combines several sources for an inclusive overview.
- Streamlines data extraction and enhances efficiency.
- Wide coverage of desktop, mobile, and website applications.
- Enables near-real-time analysis and responses.
- Screen scraping is cheaper than manual extraction or buying ready-made data from third parties.
- Allows customized data extraction, producing only relevant data.
Screen Scraping Use Cases
- Threat intelligence: Screen scraping can help to gather valuable threat intelligence from hacker forums or malicious social media accounts.
- Penetration testing: Screen scraping also helps organizations collect information and evaluate the security stance of their applications or systems.
- Incident response: Organisations can use screen scrapping to extract and assess data related to an incident.
- Security monitoring: Screen scraping can enable organizations to monitor and detect security threats such as error messages or access logs.