European law enforcement agencies have contacted more than 75,000 people suspected of being involved in launching cyberattacks, as part of a large-scale crackdown on DDoS-for-hire services.
Europol announced the operation on Thursday, revealing that the effort targeted platforms that allow users to pay for attacks capable of knocking websites offline without needing technical skills or their own infrastructure.
The coordinated action, known as Operation PowerOFF, included sending warning emails and letters to individuals believed to have used these services. Authorities were able to identify the suspected users after seizing servers linked to the platforms, which gave them access to registration data.
The operation also led to four arrests, the shutdown of 53 domains, and the execution of 24 search warrants. These steps are part of a broader attempt to disrupt the ecosystem that supports such attacks and to deter people from using these services.
DDoS attacks continue to be widely used because they are relatively easy to carry out and can cause significant disruption. Their accessibility has grown with the rise of for-hire platforms. Cloudflare reported last year that it mitigated the largest DDoS attack on record, which peaked at 29.7 terabits per second, highlighting the scale these attacks can reach. In recent years, the FBI has also carried out multiple operations targeting similar services.
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