Throughout the years, while DDoS tactics have remained largely unchanged beyond tweaks for specific targets and delivery platforms, the motivations of the attackers have changed considerably. Originally, DDoS attacks could have best been characterized as opportunistic displays of displeasure by their instigators but, by the late 1990’s, as businesses found new ways of making money over the Internet, DDoS began to prove itself a valuable component of an extortionist’s toolkit. A decade later, the categories of people involved in launching, managing and participating in DDoS attacks have become much broader – and their motivations more diverse than ever.