Malicious Infrastructure Finds Stability with aurologic GmbH www.recordedfuture.com/research/…
German hosting provider aurologic GmbH has emerged as a central nexus within the global malicious infrastructure ecosystem. It provides upstream transit and data center services to a large concentration of high-risk hosting networks, which have consistently ranked among the top sources of validated malicious infrastructure seen within Recorded Future’s Network Intelligence. This nexus includes several hosting providers Insikt Group assesses with a high degree of confidence as threat activity enablers (TAEs), such as metaspinner net GmbH, Femo IT Solutions Ltd, Global-Data System IT Corporation (SWISSNETWORK02), Railnet, and the recently sanctioned Aeza Group.
There are likely multiple contributing factors, including aurologic’s self-proclaimed neutrality, its continued provision of upstream connectivity to sanctioned entities such as Aeza, and the perception of limited enforcement risk within the European regulatory environment. Collectively, these factors may have made aurologic an attractive option for high-risk providers seeking operational stability and resilience.
Insikt Group assesses that aurologic’s case exemplifies the broader structural challenges surrounding accountability within the hosting ecosystem. Upstream providers occupy a pivotal position within the internet’s infrastructure hierarchy and are uniquely positioned to disrupt persistent abuse. Yet many continue to defer responsibility for downstream activity, intervening only when legally compelled. While neutrality remains a foundational principle of internet governance, in practice, it has become a rationale for inaction, enabling networks repeatedly associated with cybercrime, disinformation, and other forms of abuse to persist. Meaningful progress against such activity can be made by upstream providers acting not solely out of legal obligation, but from an operational and ethical responsibility to prevent the misuse of the infrastructure.
