Failing to slow down its requests severe
This app continues making requests for feed content on a website, even after the site informs it to wait a while before making any more requests.
Why it's a problemThe excessive traffic makes a website sluggish by hogging the site's resources that can be used for other site visitors. The behavior can also cause websites to exceed their limits, making them more costly to maintain. In fact, one of the main reasons the site tells the app to slow down is usually to avoid an increase in costs.
What it means for usersWebsites are likely to block this app from accessing feed content, causing feeds to stop working.
How to fix itWhen a website tells this app to hold off on requesting content for a specific amount of time, it should do so.
Using multiple networks to request feeds too frequently severe
This application is requesting feeds multiple times using different networks. A malicious bot will use this tactic to DDoS attack a website by disguising itself as a large number of human site visitors in different locations all over the world. This fools the website into thinking the traffic is legitimate in hopes to stay undetected, bypass a website's restrictions, and gain unfettered access to as much of the website's content as fast as possible.
Why it's a problemIf done consistently and at high rates, it can take a website completely offline, costing website owners time and money to mitigate the issue.
What it means for usersThe app is likely being rate-limited by websites, causing feeds used in the application to be sluggish and receive updated content much later than normal. In severe cases, websites are likely to immediately block the application from its content, and feeds used in the application will stop working entirely.
How to fix itThe application should fix this behavior as soon as possible by restricting its requests to one IP address and network per feed request at a time.
Requests are unidentifiable severe
Feed requests appear to be associated with this app but can't be accurately identified.
Why it's a problemA feed reader that can't be identified is often unfortunately used in ways that are severely abusive to a website, either intentionally by malicious users or unintentionally by its users who may be unaware. Since this application is unidentifiable, there's no way to validate its requests and mitigate any potential abuse.
What it means for usersWebsites are likely to block or severely limit this app from their feeds, causing feeds to behave unexpectedly or not work at all.
How to fix itThe application or its usage needs to be verified, which will remove any limitations or restrictions, and feeds used in the application will be much more reliable.
Not accurately identifying itself critical
Sometimes feed apps provide very little or inaccurate information about themselves to websites when requesting their content, which is what this application is doing. This is usually done to try to blend in with other traffic on the website, stay less noticeable, and decrease the chance websites will classify it as a bad bot trying to bypass a website's restrictions.
Why it's a problemFlying under the radar may be beneficial at times, but when done by a feed reader, it can look very suspicious. So websites are likely to block the application from obtaining feed content for not being identifiable.
What it means for usersIf a website blocks this application for being unidentifiable, which is likely, feeds used in the app won't work.
How to fix itWhen requesting feeds from websites, this app should properly identify itself using a unique User Agent header, with sufficient information so that websites always know what it is.
Not using updated feed locations critical
When a feed from a website is moved to a new location, the website informs the application where the feed has been moved to. However, instead of using the new locations of feeds, this application continuously tries to request feeds from their old locations.
Why it's a problemIt causes websites to use more computer resources than necessary to forcibly redirect the application to the rightful place over and over again.
What it means for usersFeeds will stop working or become fully inoperable when a website blocks the application due to this behavior.
How to fix itWhen a feed has been relocated to a new URL, the application should use the new URL and cease attempting to request feed content from the old one.