Why Botnet Takedowns Keep Happening But Cyber Extortion Keeps Growing
German authorities just shut down two of the world's largest botnets as part of a joint three-nation operation, each network having hijacked millions of compromised everyday devices for cyberattacks. This marks another major infrastructure takedown in an ongoing pattern—yet these operations rarely capture the people actually profiting from the attacks, revealing a fundamental challenge in how democracies fight cybercrime.
Bottom Line
Germany participated in shutting down two massive botnets that had compromised millions of devices, but this is infrastructure disruption, not criminal prosecution. The people who built and profited from these networks remain at large, and history suggests they'll rebuild. Until democracies find ways to impose real consequences on operators—not just their infrastructure—these takedowns will continue to be temporary victories in a permanent conflict.