Swatting attacks explained: What you need to know

Earlier this year, 18-year-old Alan Filion was sentenced to four years in federal prison for ‘making interstate threats to injure others.’ Alan put himself in this position by conducting 375 ‘swatting’ attacks over the last 18 months. Alan was a criminal ‘entrepreneur’ and offered these services to others in what he called “swatting-for-a-fee.” It’s known as swatting-as-a-service to everyone else.

Swatting is a criminal harassment tactic involving false reports to emergency services to elicit a large-scale law enforcement response to a specific location. The term is derived from the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams.

The first documented case of swatting occurred in 2004 when 14-year-old Matthew Weigman met a girl in an online chat room and attempted to engage her in phone sex. When the girl refused, Matthew called 9-1-1 and told the operator that he was holding the girl and her father at gunpoint in their home. Law enforcement responded with a SWAT team converging on the girl’s home, where they found no such threat. This was a waste of law enforcement resources and an upsetting event for the family. Matthew wasn’t charged for this incident, but five years later he was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison  for swatting and related crimes. 

Cybercrime or cyber-enabled crime?

Swatting is considered a cyber-enabled crime because the underlying crime can be committed without cyber-related resources. In cyber-enabled crimes, computer and internet resources are used to amplify attacks and maximize damage. In swatting, computer and internet resources are used to gather information about a target, anonymize calls, and spoof caller locations. Pure cybercrimes can only be conducted using computers and networks, whereas placing fake calls to emergency services can be done through Plain Old Telephone Service. Extortion, invoice fraud, identity theft, and illegal distribution of copyrighted material like movies and music are all examples of cyber-enabled crime. 

Swatting is a serious crime, and not just because of the large-scale emergency response and the associated costs. People who are swatted are not being pranked, they’re being upset, humiliated, and often traumatized by the police response. And make no mistake, the police response can be very aggressive because they are responding to threats like mass shootings, hostage situations, and bomb threats.  

One of the most high-profile swatting attacks took place in 2017 when police were sent to the home of Andrew Finch under the pretense of an active gun-related threat. The swatter, Tyler Barriss, was retaliating against a fellow online gamer for an in-game dispute and sent the police to the wrong address. Finch was killed in the encounter, and Barris was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for this and related crimes.

A more recent tragedy took place in April 2020, when 60-year-old Mark Herring suffered a fatal heart attack during the police response at his home. 18-year-old Shane Sonderman was sentenced to five years in prison for arranging the attack on Herring. All because Herring refused to sell his @Tenessee Twitter handle to Sonderman.

Swatting was largely a gaming community threat, but it has expanded to target public officials, celebrities, journalists, schools, courts, and religious institutions. No one is safe from this, even if they live a conflict-free life. And now people like Alan Filion are offering swatting-as-a-service for the folks who want the crime committed but can’t commit the crime themselves. 

“I was instructed to face the house, back down my front steps and walk backwards into the adjoining parking area, after which point I was handcuffed and walked up to the top of the street.” ~Brian Krebs, describing the swatting attack at his home.

Protect yourself

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from swatting. You should start by enhancing your online security. Limit the personal details you share online, especially your address and phone number. Use pseudonyms for gaming and social media accounts, avoid geo-tagging posts, and make sure your friends and loved ones understand the risk of swatting. Gamers and streamers should exercise caution in online interactions and immediately take appropriate action if you suspect you've been compromised.

If you believe you're at risk of being swatted, take proactive steps such as informing your local police department and requesting that your address be flagged in their system. In the event of a swatting incident, remain calm, follow police instructions, and document everything for potential legal action. Swatting may not be a pure cybercrime, but the best defense is to maximize your digital security and reduce your online footprint. This is always a good idea anyway, regardless of what type of threats are out there. 

Note: This article was originially published in Barracuda's Reddit community, r/BarracudaNetworks.