The practice of holding websites hostage under the threat of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks is declining, according to security researchers at Symantec.

DoS attacks are carried out by botnet operators using armies of remotely controlled PCs to flood a site with traffic and information requests. The attacks can cause sites and web services to run slowly or shut down altogether.

Criminals use the attacks to extort money from organisations by launching a first DoS attack and then threatening to launch further attacks unless the company pays up.

The tactic has recently drawn the attention of legislators, who passed laws last November allowing for tougher punishments for the crime.

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