Since the emergence of Mirai IoT botnet, there have been a noticeable increase in DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial of Service) and it looks like authorities are eager to take on culprits behind these attacks.
In a statement released by Europol’s press service on Monday, it has been announced that Europol itself and with the help of US and other European law enforcement agencies 34 culprits have been arrested and 101 suspects “interviewed and cautioned.”
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The operation that started on Monday 5th and ended on Friday 9th of December in which “young adults under the age of 20” were arrested on accusations including paying for DDoS tools like booters and stressers to others to conduct attacks for them.
“Europol and law enforcement authorities from Australia, Belgium, France, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States carried out a coordinated action targeting users of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) cyber-attack tools, leading to 34 arrests and 101 suspects interviewed and cautioned,” the statement said.
“The teenagers that become involved in cybercrime often have a skill set that could be put to a positive use,” says Europol.
The head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) Steven Wilson also commented on the issue stating that “Today’s generation is closer to technology than ever before, with the potential of exacerbating the threat of cyber crime. Many IT enthusiasts get involved in seemingly low-level fringe cybercrime activities from a young age, unaware of the consequences that such crimes carry. One of the key priorities of law enforcement should be to engage with these young people to prevent them from pursuing a criminal path, helping them understand how they can use their skills for a more constructive purpose.”
Also Read: New Botnet is Attacking the US West Coast with Huge DDoS Attacks
The raids came after European Commission Servers and Deutsche Telekom suffered a series of massive DDoS attack a couple of weeks ago. HackRead urges its readers not to indulge themselves in such criminal activities and use their skill for better as cyber security specialists are in high demand.
