The entity suspected of being the world’s largest Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) service provider (also known as a “booter”) has been shut down and its administrator arrested, law enforcement sources said.
The closure of Digitalstress.su and the arrest were carried out by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), along with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
“This is a legacy Soviet domain that many criminal services use in the belief that it is a barrier to law enforcement agencies conducting effective investigations,” the NCA said. “However, the NCA’s activities have shown that such domains are vulnerable and can be exploited to stop criminal activity and identify those responsible.”
Seizing communication channels
Digitalstress was responsible for “thousands” of DDoS attacks per week, The Register reports. The administrator, who has not yet been named (possibly because he is a minor), was arrested on July 2.
Following the takedown (codenamed Operation PowerOff), the website was defaced and replaced with a message from the authorities.
“The National Crime Agency has collected substantial data from those who have accessed this domain. We will share this data with International Law Enforcement for action. Individuals in the UK who have accessed this site will be contacted by Law Enforcement,” the message reads.
In addition to taking the site offline and arresting the person responsible, police have also seized all of the booter’s communication channels and are currently analyzing the data found there, it was said. This could lead to further investigation, it was said.
“Booter services are an attractive entry point into cybercrime, allowing individuals with few technical skills to easily commit cybercrime,” said Paul Foster, Head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit. The register.
“Anyone who used these services while our mirror site was active has now identified themselves to law enforcement agencies around the world. While traditional site takedowns and arrests are important elements of a law enforcement response to this threat, we are leading the way in developing innovative tools and techniques that can be used as part of a sustained programme of activity to disrupt and undermine cybercriminal services and protect people in the UK.
“Our activities prove time and again that criminals have no guarantee of anonymity or impunity online.”
Through The register