Can Websites Detect Selenium WebDriver Usage, and How Can It Be Circumvented?

Can Websites Detect Selenium Usage with ChromeDriver?

Despite the belief that WebDriver should be indistinguishable from a regular browser, some websites exhibit suspicious activity detection when Selenium is employed. Developers often confront this challenge without a clear understanding of the detection mechanism.

What's the Secret Behind the Detection?

Websites deploy JavaScript code that scans predefined variables or document objects for telltale signs of Selenium, such as "$cdc_" or "$wdc_" in document variables or variables containing "selenium" or "webdriver."

How to Circumvent the Detection

One effective approach is to eliminate the "$cdc_" document variable. By modifying the chromedriver source code and recompiling it, this can be achieved (as depicted in the example code).

Additionally, bot detection techniques may encompass pseudocode as follows:

• Inspecting window and document objects for related variables and functions
• Searching for "cache_" properties within document keys

Other Solutions

Alternative measures include:

• Opening chromedriver.exe with a HEX-editor and removing all "$cdc_" occurrences
• Configuring Selenium to bypass bot detection
• Using stealth mode capabilities in Selenium browsers

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