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In the fall of 2025, a string of swatting attacks across the country mainly targeted universities. Doane University in Nebraska was among them, according to a local terrorism researcher. Officials said swatting is often used to disrupt and cause panic in communities. Now, researchers said the people committing the crime are utilizing new technologies. National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center — or NCITE — senior researcher Mackenzie Harms said she began researching swatting attacks further in the fall of 2025 as part of a portfolio on the rising trend of Nihilistic Violent Extremism. “A lot of the attacks that were happening at universities in the fall semester, about like August 2025, were all taking credit for by a group that operates within that network,” Harms said. “Now we’ve been looking more broadly because we’re seeing it as a tactic that’s used in a lot of different areas. So it’s being used as part of threats to public officials. It’s being used as part of, you know, other online networks, how people are getting karma in these communities that they operate within.”Harms said swatting is becoming a more popular tactic because the perpetrators often see it as low risk. “Swatting has been around, and I would say they’ve been paying attention since about 2008. But I would say in the last two years it has become a more popular tactic,” Harms said. “So part of the swatting calls and the reason that it’s so attractive as a tactic is because it’s somewhat low risk. You don’t really, risk physical interception by law enforcement the way you would with a physical attack, but you’re still able to cause an insane amount of impact and cost on the target of the swatting attack.”One of the other reasons, Harms said, is because of more tools being accessible. “A lot of these online communities share protocols. What technologies you can use to support it, scripts that you can use, they identify targets,” Harms said.One of those technologies is artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence. “One of the biggest ways that we’re seeing is the, AI-enabled voice,” Harms said. “So with AI, one of the things they’re doing is it’s a way of disguising their voice so they can set it up. To do that, they will use AI to insert, maybe the sound of gunfire in the background to add legitimacy to the threat.”On Oct. 4, 2025, the University of Nebraska Omaha was the target of a swatting call, according to Omaha police. During the incident, 911 dispatchers reported they could “hear gunshots on the line.” KETV asked Harms if that could have been an AI-formulated call. This was her response: “Absolutely, or I would say AI-enabled is what I would say.””On top of that, you see the other technologies that, voice over internet protocols, things like that, that are used as a way to mask their identity. So it can be really challenging for law enforcement to identify the people behind these threats,” Harms said. AI or not, Capt. Monty Lovelace with the Nebraska State Patrol said law enforcement will always be there. “The important thing is that we still respond,” Lovelace said. “We don’t show complacency. The moment that we become complacent in handling these swatting situations, the moment something real is going to happen.”Lovelace leads the Fusion Center at NSP headquarters in Lincoln. He said NCITE’s research is valuable and often helps them in investigations and with sharing intel with local and national partners. “They can use that information to come up with the best safety plan to address it when those situations occur,” Lovelace said. No matter how many swatting calls happen, Lovelace said law enforcement will continue to protect people. “From a law enforcement perspective, we’re going to continue to do whatever we can to protect people and go after those that are doing this type of behavior and trying to hurt others. whether it’s online or not,” Lovelace said. Lovelace said it’s also important to have open conversations with kids and peers about what swatting is and what happens if you experience a swatting attack. He said that it can help you return to a normal day and normal routine quickly. Harms said it’s essential to still follow safety protocols, even if you think a situation may be swatting. She said she’s also seen some areas start to utilize AI to combat swatting.
In the fall of 2025, a string of swatting attacks across the country mainly targeted universities. Doane University in Nebraska was among them, according to a local terrorism researcher.
Officials said swatting is often used to disrupt and cause panic in communities. Now, researchers said the people committing the crime are utilizing new technologies.
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National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center — or NCITE — senior researcher Mackenzie Harms said she began researching swatting attacks further in the fall of 2025 as part of a portfolio on the rising trend of Nihilistic Violent Extremism.
“A lot of the attacks that were happening at universities in the fall semester, about like August 2025, were all taking credit for by a group that operates within that network,” Harms said. “Now we’ve been looking more broadly because we’re seeing it as a tactic that’s used in a lot of different areas. So it’s being used as part of threats to public officials. It’s being used as part of, you know, other online networks, how people are getting karma in these communities that they operate within.”
Harms said swatting is becoming a more popular tactic because the perpetrators often see it as low risk.
“Swatting has been around, and I would say they’ve been paying attention since about 2008. But I would say in the last two years it has become a more popular tactic,” Harms said. “So part of the swatting calls and the reason that it’s so attractive as a tactic is because it’s somewhat low risk. You don’t really, risk physical interception by law enforcement the way you would with a physical attack, but you’re still able to cause an insane amount of impact and cost on the target of the swatting attack.”
One of the other reasons, Harms said, is because of more tools being accessible.
“A lot of these online communities share protocols. What technologies you can use to support it, scripts that you can use, they identify targets,” Harms said.
One of those technologies is artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence.
“One of the biggest ways that we’re seeing is the, AI-enabled voice,” Harms said. “So with AI, one of the things they’re doing is it’s a way of disguising their voice so they can set it up. To do that, they will use AI to insert, maybe the sound of gunfire in the background to add legitimacy to the threat.”
On Oct. 4, 2025, the University of Nebraska Omaha was the target of a swatting call, according to Omaha police. During the incident, 911 dispatchers reported they could “hear gunshots on the line.”
KETV asked Harms if that could have been an AI-formulated call.
This was her response: “Absolutely, or I would say AI-enabled is what I would say.”
“On top of that, you see the other technologies that, voice over internet protocols, things like that, that are used as a way to mask their identity. So it can be really challenging for law enforcement to identify the people behind these threats,” Harms said.
AI or not, Capt. Monty Lovelace with the Nebraska State Patrol said law enforcement will always be there.
“The important thing is that we still respond,” Lovelace said. “We don’t show complacency. The moment that we become complacent in handling these swatting situations, the moment something real is going to happen.”
Lovelace leads the Fusion Center at NSP headquarters in Lincoln. He said NCITE’s research is valuable and often helps them in investigations and with sharing intel with local and national partners.
“They can use that information to come up with the best safety plan to address it when those situations occur,” Lovelace said.
No matter how many swatting calls happen, Lovelace said law enforcement will continue to protect people.
“From a law enforcement perspective, we’re going to continue to do whatever we can to protect people and go after those that are doing this type of behavior and trying to hurt others. whether it’s online or not,” Lovelace said.
Lovelace said it’s also important to have open conversations with kids and peers about what swatting is and what happens if you experience a swatting attack.
He said that it can help you return to a normal day and normal routine quickly.
Harms said it’s essential to still follow safety protocols, even if you think a situation may be swatting. She said she’s also seen some areas start to utilize AI to combat swatting.
