British Police: Even Nine-Year-Olds Are Carrying Out DDoS Attacks

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), together with the telecom operator Schools Broadband, has launched an initiative aimed at discouraging young people from participating in cybercrime. This educational campaign was organized after reports emerged of children as young as nine years old carrying out DDoS attacks.

Students who search for certain terms related to DDoS and other cybercrimes will now see a warning message and be offered a link to the Cyber Choices website. Through this approach, the police hope to educate young people about the Computer Misuse Act and the consequences of cybercrime.

According to law enforcement, the initiative has significantly reduced the number of searches for terms like “stresser” and “booter,” which are associated with DDoS attacks. The program will now be rolled out nationwide to more than 2,000 elementary and secondary schools.

Data from the National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) shows that from 2019 to 2020, the number of reports about students organizing DDoS attacks increased by 107%. The average age of offenders was 15, but some were as young as nine years old.