A DDoS-for-hire site described by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) as the world's most prolific operator in the field is out-of-action following a law enforcement sting dubbed Operation Power Off. The NCA, together with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and FBI, today announced the closure of digitalstress.su – a platform responsible for tens of thousands of DDoS attacks every week - and the arrest of its suspected admin.
The arrest was made on July 2 but authorities haven't named the suspect. DDoS-for-hire platforms, aka booters, allow budding cybercriminals to take their first step toward the dark side with what is essentially a point-and-click tool to flood a domain of choice. "This is an old Soviet Union domain which many criminal services use in the belief that it presents a barrier for law enforcement agencies to carry out effective investigations," the NCA said.
"The NCA's activity however has shown that such domains are vulnerable and can be exploited to stop criminal activity and identify those responsible." As is the fashion nowadays, the takedown came with the tomfoolery and white hat trolling we've come to expect from police in dealing with cybercrime operations. There was the typical splash page that shows any visitors to the site that it has been taken over by the cops.
Members of the platform's messaging services were also contacted, as happened with LockBit's affiliates when the gang was taken down in February. "On 2 July, a joint operation b.
