July 22, 2024 at 04:24PM
The UK’s National Crime Agency, with PSNI and FBI, shut down digitalstress.su, a DDoS-for-hire platform responsible for thousands of attacks weekly. An arrest was made on July 2. Authorities warned that criminals using such services are not anonymous. Similar takedowns occurred in Spain targeting a hacktivist group. The sting highlighted law enforcement’s commitment to combat cybercrime.
Key takeaways from the meeting notes:
– The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), together with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and FBI, announced the closure of digitalstress.su, a DDoS-for-hire platform responsible for tens of thousands of DDoS attacks every week, following a law enforcement sting dubbed Operation Power Off.
– The suspected admin of digitalstress.su was arrested on July 2, and the NCA has shown that old Soviet Union domains, like this one, are vulnerable and can be exploited to stop criminal activity and identify those responsible.
– The takedown of digitalstress.su included the typical splash page takeover and messaging to the platform’s regulars, with a warning that law enforcement is watching them. The authorities have taken control of the communications channels and may analyze available data on the members for further investigations.
– The NCA stresses that booter services are an entry-level cybercrime that allows individuals with little technical ability to commit cyber offenses with ease, and that using these services will make individuals known to law enforcement agencies around the world, with no assurance of anonymity or impunity.
– In Spain, the Guardia Civil arrested three individuals believed to be part of the hacktivist group NoName057(16), accused of playing key roles in DDoS attacks against the public sector in Spain and other NATO countries, as well as running the DDoSia platform. The latter allows supporters of the Russian cause to launch attacks on pro-Ukraine entities.