Although DDoS attacks are generally considered to be less sophisticated, over the past year, some attackers aimed to carry out stronger and longer lasting DDoS attacks to deny the availability of services for as long as possible. They did so by circumventing the usual mitigation measures and by using multiple DDoS attack techniques simultaneously. In the case of the aforementioned pro-Russian hacktivist groups, DDoS attacks also served as a propaganda tool. Despite their minimal impact, DDoS attacks were often heavily publicized domestically, with groups like Killnet and Anonymous Russia sharing the stories and promoting them to their domestic audiences on the social network Telegram to exaggerate their real impact. The excessive media coverage of the attacks in the attacked countries thus paradoxically aided the goals of the attackers. Malware as a Service: Growing Opportunities for Cybercrime Actors Another growing threat monitored by the NÚKIB during the past year is the so-called cybercrime-as-a-service model: the sale of tools for carrying out cyberattacks. Cybercriminal actors offer their services on black markets (especially on the so-called darkweb), which can then be purchased by actors without any deeper technical knowledge or resources. These tools include ransomware and other types of malwares, access to already compromised systems, and complex services for phishing or vishing campaigns. Vishing-as-a-service Offers rental of voice systems intended for carrying out of vishing attacks. Access-as-a-service Offers access to compromised accounts or systems. Phishing-as-a-service Malware-as-a-service Offers malware for further use in cyberattacks. DDoS-as-a-service Offers complex phishing services starting with detailed tutorials to e-mail templates or legitimate looking malicious websites. Offers access to infected devices connected to the Internet (so-called botnet) in order to carry out DDoS attacks. Cybercrime-as-a-service is therefore a business model enabling virtually any person with sufficient funds to exploit tools or services for cyberattacks. This makes malicious cyber activity more easily available even for relatively unexperienced attackers. Due to the growing popularity of this model, which is capable of generating big profits, the competition within the market is growing, resulting in a wider offering of products and better affordability. That, in return, makes the provided services available to an even wider group of potential clients. 16