Category

# Criminal hosting and proxy takedowns

Actions against the hosting layer criminal services run on: bulletproof hosts, proxy and VPN networks, and the residential proxy networks rented out to other operators.

Records 10 2015 to 2026

Infrastructure 6 Items recorded as acted on

People named 2 Distinct people in these records

Sources 13 Cited across the category

## What this category covers

Hosting providers that ignored abuse reports, anonymising services marketed to criminal customers, proxy networks assembled from compromised machines, and what each one was used for.

Every entry below is an action that was carried out, not an announcement of intent. The [counting rules](https://takedownindex.org/about/counting-incidents) and the [inclusion definition](https://takedownindex.org/about/what-counts) apply to this category exactly as they apply to the rest of the index.

What the record does not settle

- 1 of 10 records have a documented successor. Silence in the other rows is not evidence that a service stayed down.
- Reported figures come from the acting authorities. Named figures come from people recorded individually here. The two are never added together.

## Chronology

| Date | Takedown | Target | Led by | Jurisdictions |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jul 15, 2015 | [Darkode forum takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/darkode-forum-takedown) | Darkode | FBI | Not established |
| Nov 30, 2016 | [Avalanche network takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/avalanche-network-takedown) | Avalanche | Verden Public Prosecutor | International |
| May 7, 2019 | [DeepDotWeb domain seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/deepdotweb-domain-seizure) | DeepDotWeb | FBI | Not established |
| Dec 22, 2020 | [Safe-Inet / Insorg VPN takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/safe-inet-insorg-vpn-takedown) | Safe-Inet (also known as Insorg) | Not established | Not established |
| Jun 30, 2021 | [DoubleVPN takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/doublevpn-takedown) | DoubleVPN | Dutch National Police | Not established |
| Jan 18, 2022 | [VPNLab.net takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/vpnlab-net-takedown) | VPNLab.net | BKA | Not established |
| Jun 16, 2022 | [RSOCKS proxy botnet disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/rsocks-proxy-botnet-disruption) | RSOCKS | FBI | Not established |
| Aug 8, 2023 | [LolekHosted seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/lolekhosted-seizure) | LolekHosted.net | FBI | Not established |
| Jan 30, 2025 | [Cracked and Nulled forums takedown](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/cracked-and-nulled-forums-takedown) | Cracked and Nulled | FBI | Not established |
| Mar 11, 2026 | [SocksEscort proxy network disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/socksescort-proxy-network-disruption) | SocksEscort | FBI | Not established |

## Who leads these actions

- [FBI](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation)6 records
- [BKA](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/bundeskriminalamt)1 record
- [Dutch National Police](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/politie-netherlands-national-police)1 record
- [Verden Public Prosecutor](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/staatsanwaltschaft-verden)1 record

## Where they were carried out

- Canada1 record
- Germany1 record
- European Union1 record
- Ukraine1 record
- United States1 record

A takedown is counted once for every country named in its geographic scope, so these figures sum to more than 10.

[Filter the full index by this category](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns?activity_type=criminal_hosting_proxy)