The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Ethan Foltz for developing and managing the Rapper Bot, a powerful Mirai-based DDoS-for-hire botnet. The operation, seized during ‘Operation PowerOff,’ targeted over 18,000 entities worldwide and has caused extensive damage through massive attacks and extortion schemes. #RapperBot #OperationPowerOff
Keypoints
- The Rapper Bot is a Mirai-based malware botnet used for DDoS attacks since 2021.
- The botnet targeted over 18,000 entities across 80 countries, including U.S. government systems.
- Since April 2025, Rapper Bot launched 370,000 attacks, with power levels exceeding 1 billion packets per second.
- The botnet added a cryptomining module in 2023 to increase revenue from compromised devices.
- Law enforcement seized the infrastructure during ‘Operation PowerOff,’ and Foltz faces up to ten years in prison if convicted.