The DDoS-for-hire service, DigitalStress, was taken down on July 2nd following a coordinated law enforcement operation led by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).
The Police Service of Northern Ireland also arrested an individual who is alleged to be the owner of the service (known as Skiop). NCA agents infiltrated the communications services used to plan the DDoS attacks, collecting data on DigitalStress “customers”.
The NCA will share this information with other law enforcement agencies to assist in investigations targeting the administrators and users of the malicious service.
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According to a banner displayed by the NCA on the DigitalStress website, the removal of digitalstress.su was done in collaboration with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
“The National Crime Agency has collected significant data from those accessing this domain. We will share this data with International Law Enforcement Authorities. Law enforcement authorities will contact individuals in the UK who are involved with this website.“.
Others who participated in the Booter service confirmed on the Telegram channel that they had not been able to find Skiop since July 2. They also warned against accessing digitalstress[.]net because they believed it was a honeypot. They even confirmed the service, saying that “without access to its database, we cannot move [..] customers to another service.”
“Booter services allow people with little technical ability to commit cybercrime with ease,” said Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cybercrime Unit. “Anyone who used these services while our mirror site was up and running has now become known to law enforcement agencies around the world.”
The takedown of the DDoS service, DigitalStress, and the arrest of its suspected owner are part of a long-term and ongoing law enforcement effort ( Operation PowerOFF). The operation began in December 2018 with the seizure of 15 websites associated with DDoS-as-a-service platforms.
See also: PHP vulnerability used to distribute malware and DDoS attacks
In December 2022, the Department of Justice seized 48 Internet domains, charging six suspects with operating booter services. In May 2023, the US Department of Justice announced the seizure of 13 additional web domains linked to DDoS-for-hire services.
Last week, Spanish authorities also arrested three suspects linked to DDoS attacks against governments and organizations in NATO countries using the DDoSia platform.
The takedown of DigitalStress is considered a major victory for law enforcement and a major blow to cybercriminals. The shutdown of the website and the arrest of its owner could help disrupt the operations of other DDoS-for-Hire services.
While this operation is certainly a step in the right direction, there is still a lot of work to be done to combat attacks and other cybercrime. It is important for individuals and businesses to take proactive steps to protect themselves from such attacks, such as implementing strong cybersecurity measures and regularly updating software.
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See also: People's Cyber Army teams up with other groups for DDoS attacks in Denmark
Additionally, it is important for governments and law enforcement agencies to continue working together to identify and take down other DDoS-for-Hire services that may emerge in the future. By remaining vigilant, we can achieve a reduction in cybercrime and enhance business protection. Let’s see the takedown of DigitalStress as a reminder that coordinated efforts are key to fighting cybercrime.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
