Oregon Man Charged in ‘Rapper Bot’ DDoS Service
What’s new: Ethan J. Foltz, a 22-year-old from Oregon, has been arrested for allegedly operating “Rapper Bot,” a botnet used for launching distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, including a significant attack on Twitter/X in March 2025. The botnet reportedly controlled tens of thousands of hacked IoT devices and was used to extort online businesses, particularly in the gambling sector. Foltz faces charges of aiding and abetting computer intrusions, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.
Who’s affected
Victims of the Rapper Bot DDoS attacks include online businesses, particularly gambling operations in China, as well as various networks across the United States, Japan, Ireland, and Hong Kong. The botnet conducted over 370,000 attacks targeting approximately 18,000 unique victims.
What to do
- Review and enhance DDoS mitigation strategies to protect against large-scale attacks.
- Consider implementing network engineering solutions such as overprovisioning or DDoS defense technologies.
- Stay informed about emerging IoT vulnerabilities that could be exploited for botnet creation.
