PRINCE OF SPAM

Massive Cyberattack Leader in Hot Water

Dutch authorities have launched official investigation.

Dutch hacker Sven Olaf Kamphuis, the self-declared leader of the “Republic of CyberBunker,” is now at the center of an international investigation into one of the largest cyberattacks of all time. The attack’s central character is a spam-fighting website called spamhaus.org, which combats Internet spam by “publishing blacklists of alleged offenders.” Kamphuis is vehemently against the site, claiming it abuses its power by deciding what “is or isn’t spam.” The massive cyberattack, which authorities believe was led by Kamphuis, began in mid-March when spamhaus.org blacklisted two of his companies.“Yo anons, we could use a little help in shutting down illegal slander and blackmail censorship project ‘spamhaus.org,’” Kamphuis wrote on his Facebook wall March 23. Although the Dutch native claims he only served as a spokesman for other hackers in bringing the site down, an official investigation into Kamphuis—nicknamed the “Prince of Spam”—is underway.