Can Websites Detect Selenium Automation?

Can Selenium's Presence Be Detected by Websites?

Although Selenium and the underlying Chromedriver are designed to seamlessly mimic the behavior of a regular Chrome browser, websites have devised sophisticated techniques to detect their usage. This is achieved through a variety of methods, including:

Detection of Specific JavaScript Variables

Bot detection scripts often look for predefined JavaScript variables that are present when using Selenium. These include variables containing the strings "selenium" or "webdriver" in their names. Additionally, document variables such as $cdc_ and $wdc_ can also be used as indicators.

Modification of Chromedriver's Code

By modifying the source code of Chromedriver, it is possible to remove or rename these telltale JavaScript variables. For instance, the document variable $cdc_ can be changed to a different name to prevent its detection.

Comprehensive Detection Techniques

Bot networks employ more comprehensive detection techniques that check for various other signs of Selenium's presence, such as:

• Examination of window and document objects for specific keys or functions associated with Selenium
• Analysis of document attributes to identify Selenium-specific flags
• Checking for external objects that point to Selenium inspection tools

Circumventing Detection

To bypass website detection methods, the following steps can be taken:

• Remove all traces of Selenium-specific JavaScript variables from your code.
• Modify the Chromedriver source code to obscure or eliminate detection markers.
• Employ residential proxies to mask your real IP address and browser fingerprint.
• Use browser fingerprinting tools to mimic the behavior of a real browser as closely as possible.

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