{"id":1557828,"date":"2026-04-20T13:33:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/qak7qt8zpgfdddtnbBzgKL"},"modified":"2026-04-20T13:33:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T13:33:48","slug":"ddos-is-not-a-game-its-a-crime-europol-targets-the-youth-in-latest-bid-to-take-down-ddos-for-hire-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/ddos-is-not-a-game-its-a-crime-europol-targets-the-youth-in-latest-bid-to-take-down-ddos-for-hire-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"“DDoS is not a game. It’s a crime!” Europol targets the youth in latest bid to take down DDoS-for-hire infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By the very nature of modern DDoS attacks, which often deploy large botnets dispersed over a large geographical area, it’s difficult to pin the blame on any one mastermind. That said, last week a number of different countries collaborated in a Europol-supported effort designed to take criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure offline.<\/p>\n

21 different countries in total now participate in Operation PowerOFF<\/a>, which has been an ongoing effort since at least 2018<\/a>. 75,000 users tied to the use of DDoS-for-hire services were sent warning emails and letters during the recent “coordinated action week” that began on April 13. 53 domains were also taken down, 25 search warrants were issued, and four people were ultimately arrested, according to Europol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Europol’s press release claims, “[DDoS] attacks are often regionally focused, with users targeting servers and websites within their continent, and directed at a wide range of targets including online marketplaces, telecommunications providers, and other web-based services. Motivations vary from curiosity to ideological purposes linked to hacktivism, as well as financial gain through extortion or the disruption of competitors\u2019 services.”<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n