Oregon Man Charged Over Massive Rapper Bot Cyberattack Network

A 22-year-old man from Oregon has been charged with running one of the world’s most powerful cyberattack tools, known as “Rapper Bot.”

Ethan Foltz, a resident of Eugene, Oregon, has been accused by prosecutors of creating and running a botnet that spread to tens of thousands of internet-connected devices.

These devices, which ranged from DVRs to Wi Fi routers, were then hijacked to carry out attacks on websites and servers around the globe. Essentially, once a device was compromised, it became a soldier in a massive digital army launching coordinated assaults that overwhelmed their targets, known as Distributed Denial of Service attacks.

According to court documents, Rapper Bot, also called “Eleven Eleven Botnet” and “CowBot”, has been active since 2021, carrying out more than 370,000 attacks against 18,000 victims across 80 countries. Victims included U.S. government systems, major social media platforms, gaming companies, and large tech firms.

The attacks often reached speeds of 2 to 3 terabits per second, with the largest possibly exceeding 6 terabits. Even short attacks lasting just 30 seconds could cost victims between $500 and $10,000. Authorities also say some Rapper Bot customers used it to extort money, threatening to unleash devastating attacks unless victims paid up.

“Rapper Bot was one of the most powerful DDoS botnets to ever exist, but the outstanding investigatory work by DCIS cyber agents and support of my office and industry partners has put an end to Foltz’s time as administrator and effectively disrupted the activities of this transnational criminal group,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman.

Special Agent Kenneth DeChellis of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service added: “The Rapper Bot malware was a clear threat, and the focused efforts of DCIS, our industry partners, and the federal prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska, sends a clear signal to those who would harm the DoD’s personnel, infrastructure, and intellectual property, that their actions will come at a cost.”

Foltz has been charged with aiding and abetting computer intrusions, which carries up to 10 years in prison if convicted.