US DoJ takes down 48 websites running huge
>
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the seizure of 48 domains was found to offer distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks as an on-demand service for cybercriminals.
A press release (opens in new tab) from the office of E. Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, revealed that, in addition to these seizures, there are criminal charges against six defendants believed to be responsible for running these platforms.
The news brings ‘cybercrime-as-a-service’, highlighted in Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report (MDDR). back in the picture in November 2022, alongside the scourge of DDoS attacks sweep the internet.
DDoS-for-hire
Earlier, Tech Radar Pro usually refers to cybercrime-as-a-service in the context of ransomwarethat denies personal users and companies access to their files by encrypting them (usually until a threat actor receives a ransom), or drippersthat divide malware through delayed software updates.
However, DDoS-as-a-service (also called “booter” services because they boot targeted systems from the Internet) is still a very popular option for people who want to commit cybercrime without the technical know-how.
The US prosecutor’s office alleges that the websites seized during the operation launched “millions” of DDoS attacks to attack victims around the world, with some claiming to offer legitimate ‘stressor’ services for businesses .
“These startup services allow anyone to launch cyberattacks that harm individual victims and compromise everyone’s access to the Internet,” said US Attorney Estrada, who emphasized that the services enable maximum damage with minimal effort.
“This week’s sweeping law enforcement activity is an important step in our ongoing efforts to root out criminal behavior that threatens Internet infrastructure and our ability to function in a digital world.”
In addition to these seizures, the US FBI, the UK National Crime Agency and the Dutch police are taking a softer approach to those who express an interest in using DDoS-for-hire services.
An advertising campaign in the form of search engine placement ads picks up common keywords associated with DDoS-for-hire activity to deter would-be cybercriminals from investing in these services, and informs the public about DDoS activity and its consequences. The FBI has also committed to assisting victims whenever possible.
“Whether a criminal independently launches an attack or pays a skilled contractor to carry out one, the FBI will work with victims and use the significant resources at our disposal to identify the individual or group responsible,” said Donald Alway, the deputy director. from the Los Angeles Field Office of the FBI.
“Victims of cybercrime [in the US] are urged to contact their local FBI field office or file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.”