Dutch law enforcement has dismantled a major bulletproof hosting operation, seizing around 250 physical servers in data centers in The Hague and Zoetermeer. The takedown simultaneously knocked offline thousands of virtual servers that investigators say were heavily involved in cybercriminal activity.
Large-Scale Takedown of Bulletproof Hosting in the Netherlands
According to police statements, the unnamed hosting provider had been operating since 2022 and appeared in more than 80 cybercrime investigations in the Netherlands and abroad. This frequency indicates that the infrastructure had become a go‑to platform for multiple criminal groups.
Investigators report that the seized servers hosted a broad spectrum of malicious operations: ransomware deployments, botnet command‑and‑control (C2) systems, large‑scale phishing campaigns, and content related to child sexual abuse. The service marketed itself with strong anonymity promises and an explicit refusal to cooperate with law enforcement, typical traits of bulletproof hosting providers.
What Is Bulletproof Hosting and Why It Matters for Cybersecurity
Bulletproof hosting refers to hosting services that deliberately ignore abuse reports, copyright complaints and lawful requests from authorities. Operators often register companies in lenient jurisdictions, accept cryptocurrency payments and apply minimal or no customer identification (no KYC).
For cybercriminals, this creates a resilient backbone for operations. They can run botnet C2 servers, manage phishing panels, distribute ransomware and host stolen data or credential harvesting infrastructure with reduced risk of swift takedown. Disrupting a single large bulletproof host can therefore temporarily impact multiple ransomware groups, phishing crews and fraud operations at once.
Media Reports Point to CrazyRDP’s Anonymous VPS Platform
While Dutch authorities have not publicly named the provider, several cybersecurity media outlets, citing their own sources, suggest the operation may be linked to CrazyRDP, a hosting brand popular on cybercrime forums.
CrazyRDP reportedly offered VPS and RDP access with no KYC, no activity logs and a frictionless sign‑up process requiring only a username and password. Such conditions made the service attractive in darknet markets, where it was frequently recommended as a “reliable” anonymous host.
A notable signal emerged on 12 November, when all posts disappeared from the official CrazyRDP Telegram channel and subscribers were forwarded to a new channel discussing the abrupt shutdown. Users claimed to have dozens of servers hosted on the platform; support first blamed “data center issues” and then stopped responding. Some customers speculated about a potential exit scam, unaware that law enforcement action might be underway.
Forensic Analysis: Why “No Logs” Rarely Means No Evidence
The approximately 250 physical servers are now undergoing detailed digital forensic analysis. Investigators aim to identify both the hosting operators and end customers who rented infrastructure for illegal purposes.
Even when a service advertises “no logs,” completely eliminating digital traces is extremely difficult in practice. Forensic teams typically analyze hypervisor logs, residual VM configurations, snapshots, fragments of malware, and historical network connections. Correlating these artefacts with external intelligence and ISP records can reveal the identity or at least the operational patterns of ransomware affiliates, phishing operators and other threat actors.
Because the affected infrastructure supported international campaigns, the case is likely to involve cross‑border cooperation mechanisms such as Europol coordination and mutual legal assistance treaties, increasing the chance that foreign customers will also be identified.
Impact on the Cybercriminal Ecosystem and Threat Intelligence
Shutting down a large bulletproof hosting provider does not eliminate cybercrime, but it introduces significant short‑term disruption. Criminal groups are forced to hurriedly migrate infrastructure, rebuild C2 servers, reconfigure phishing kits and re‑establish distribution channels for malware.
For defenders, such operations are valuable sources of indicators of compromise (IOCs)—IP addresses, domains, TLS certificates, phishing templates and malware samples. Similar infrastructure‑focused takedowns, such as the “Avalanche” network in 2016 or the disruption of Emotet in 2021, generated extensive data that security vendors and CERTs used to improve detection and block follow‑on attacks.
Lessons for Businesses: Choosing Hosting Providers and Reducing Risk
This case highlights the risks of using highly anonymous, “no‑questions‑asked” infrastructure, even for organizations that do not intend to engage in illegal activities but seek “maximum privacy.” When such a provider becomes the subject of a criminal investigation, legitimate customers may face downtime, data loss and unwanted attention from investigators.
When selecting infrastructure, businesses should prioritize transparent hosting policies, clear jurisdiction, documented incident response procedures and a stated willingness to cooperate with law enforcement within legal boundaries. Security certifications, abuse handling workflows and clear terms of service are important indicators of a legitimate provider.
From a technical standpoint, organizations should implement defense in depth: regular offline backups, network segmentation, strict access control, continuous monitoring for anomalous activity, timely patching, and endpoint protection. Maintaining up‑to‑date blocklists of suspicious IP addresses and domains, informed by CERT advisories and threat intel feeds, helps reduce exposure to infrastructure commonly used by criminals.
As law enforcement agencies increasingly target the infrastructure that underpins cybercrime, organizations have an opportunity to reassess their own hosting choices and security posture. Avoiding dubious “bulletproof” or ultra‑anonymous services, strengthening monitoring and backup strategies, and closely following guidance from national CERTs and reputable security vendors can significantly reduce cyber risk and make it harder for criminal ecosystems to thrive.
