Europol launches Operation PowerOFF warns 75,000 DDoS users and takes down
53 domains

Date:
Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:17:43 +0000

Description:
Four people were arrested as Europol and numerous national police agencies join forces to tackle DDoS attacks.

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now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Europol Operation PowerOFF disrupts DDoSforhire services across 21 countries Four arrests, 53 domains seized, 25 search warrants executed Police found 3 million criminal accounts; 75,000 warning emails sent to deter customers Four people have been arrested during Operation PowerOFF, a new Europol campaign aimed at disrupting Distributed Denial of Service ( DDoS ) service providers.

Europol announced that together with 21 national law enforcement agencies, it launched Operation PowerOFF which, besides the four arrests, also led to the takedown of 53 domains and the issuing of 25 search warrants. Leading up to the action week, a series of operational sprints took place gathering experts from national authorities across the globe to carry out actions against high-value target users of DDoS-for-hire platforms and raise awareness about the illegality of these activities, Europol said. Article continues below You may like Massive Interpol operation takes down 45,000 IP addresses and leads to 94 arrests Global Europol crackdown knocks over 373,000 dark web sites offline Major data leak forum LeakBase seized by FBI, Europol, and shut down Warning the users During these sprints, the police allegedly disrupted
illegal booter services, dismantling the technical infrastructure that supports DDoS services - servers, databases, and other technical components.

By seizing these infrastructures, authorities were able to hinder these criminal operations and prevent further damage to victims, Europol added.

On the confiscated hardware, the police found information on three million criminal user accounts, which led to a series of coordinated actions across the globe.

In the next stage of the campaign, Europol is warning DDoS-for-hire customers to stop what theyre doing or face the consequences. It apparently said 75,000 warning emails, and placed ads on search engines to target people searching for DDoS-for-hire tools on Google . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our
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with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

More than 100 URLs advertising DDoS-for-hire services were removed from
search engine results, and warning messages were sent on blockchains
criminals use to make illegal payments.

To launch a distributed denial of service attack, a cybercriminal must have access to hundreds of thousands of internet-connected devices. Those offering these services usually first compromise poorly protected hardware, such as home routers, smart TVs, DVRs, and different smart home appliances, with malware.

This malware gives them the necessary access, which they later streamline by creating a simple dashboard. Then, they rent access to the dashboard, effectively facilitating cybercrime. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best antivirus 1. Best overall: Bitdefender Total Security 2. Best for families: Norton 360 with LifeLock 3. Best for mobile: McAfee Mobile Security Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/europol-launches-operation-poweroff-war ns-75-000-ddos-users-and-takes-down-53-domains


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