Law enforcement agencies worldwide have disrupted a holiday tradition for cybercriminals: launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks to take websites offline.
As part of an ongoing international crackdown known as PowerOFF, authorities have seized 27 of the most popular platforms used to carry out these attacks. Known as ‘booter’ and ‘stresser’ websites, these platforms enabled cybercriminals and hacktivists to flood targets with illegal traffic, rendering websites and other web-based services inaccessible. This multifaceted operation, coordinated by Europol and involving 15 countries, targeted all levels of those engaged in this crime.
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Source: Europol
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