Ethan Foltz, a 22-year-old from Eugene, Oregon, has been charged with developing and running the notorious 'RapperBot' botnet, which enabled large-scale distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks for hire.

Since 2021, RapperBot has been linked to more than 370,000 cyberattacks in over 80 countries, targeting thousands of victims including U.S. government agencies, tech firms, and global social media platforms.

Federal investigators allege that Foltz monetized the botnet by granting customers access to its powerful DDoS tools, with some clients reportedly using it to extort victims.

If convicted, Foltz faces up to 10 years in prison.

Authorities seized the botnet’s infrastructure during a search of Foltz’s home in August 2025, effectively shutting down its operations.

This action was part of Operation PowerOFF, a global effort to dismantle criminal DDoS-for-hire services.

Experts estimate a single DDoS attack from RapperBot could cause tens of thousands of dollars in damages, underscoring the botnet's severe local and international impact.