Nine-year-old kids are launching DDoS attacks against schools

Britain's computer crime cops are targeting youngsters as young as nine years old in an attempt to dissuade them from embarking on a life of cybercrime. The UK's National Crime Agency has launched a new initiative with the hope of educating youngsters of the consequences of launching DDoS attacks. A study by the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit discovered that the number of Distributed Denial of Service attacks launched against school networks and websites has more doubled from 2019 to 2020. So how can the police convince youngsters that they shouldn't launch attacks against others - whether it be fellow gamers or school websites? The initiative being rolled out by the NCA to over 2,000 primary and secondary schools in the UK, ahead of going live at further schools and colleges across the country, will see students who search for terms associated with cybercrime greeted with an access denied "Block page." It's not just a warning for those who search for "Stresser" and "Booter" services which provide an easy way to launch a DDoS attack against a school's network. An NCA video explains to youngsters that a legitimate career, such as a job as as a junior games designer, could yield a salary of £35,000, but launching a DDoS attack could result in a police visit, a ban on accessing the internet, and the seizure of computing equipment.