The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the seizure of 48 domains found to offer a distributed denial of service (DDoS) as an on-demand service for cybercriminals.
AND press release (opens in a new tab) from the office of E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, revealed that, in addition to these seizures, criminal charges have been filed 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). in November 2022, back in the spotlight aside from the scourge of DDoS attacks combing the internet.
DDoS for rent
Previously, TechRadar Pro usually included cybercrime as a service in context ransomwarethat blocks individuals and businesses from accessing their files by encrypting them (usually until the cybercriminal receives a monetary ransom), or dropperswhich they distribute malicious software through delayed software updates.
However, DDoS-as-a-service (sometimes referred to as “booter” services because they boot target systems from the internet) is still a very popular option for people looking to commit cybercrime without technical knowledge.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says websites seized during the operation have launched “millions” of DDoS attacks to target victims around the world, with some claiming to offer legitimate “stress” services to businesses.
“These launch services allow anyone to launch cyberattacks that harm individual victims and threaten everyone’s ability to access the Internet,” said U.S. Attorney Estrada, emphasizing that these services allow for maximum damage with minimal effort.
“This week’s extensive law enforcement action is an important step in our ongoing efforts to eradicate criminal behavior that threatens our online infrastructure and our ability to function in a digital world.”
In addition to these seizures, the US FBI, UK National Crime Agency and Dutch police are taking a more lenient approach to those who show interest in using DDoS services for hire.
The advertising campaign in the form of search engine ads will target common keywords related to DDoS activities for hire to discourage potential cybercriminals from investing in these services and educate the public about DDoS activities and their impact. The FBI is also committed to helping victims where possible.
“Whether the offender carries out the attack himself or pays a skilled contractor to carry it out, the FBI will work with victims and use the considerable tools at our disposal to identify the person or group responsible,” said Donald Alway, associate director of FBI Field Office in Los Angeles.
“Victims of cybercrime [in the US] please contact your local FBI field office or file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Reporting Center at ic3.gov.”