Prolific DDoS-for-hire service NightmareStresser seized by US authorities

FBI takes down “world’s longest-running distributed denial-of-service” (DDoS) provider used in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks worldwide.

The United States Justice Department (DOJ) has announced the successful seizure of internet infrastructure related to a long-running DDoS-for-hire platform that is thought to be responsible for hundreds of thousands of attacks targeting victims across the globe since 2022.

Several domains linked to the NightmareStresser platform were seized as part of a joint operation by the FBI, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

“Booter services such as those named in this action allegedly facilitate attacks on a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of people,” the DOJ said in a 15 September statement .

“In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and can completely disrupt internet connections.”

The seizure is part of Operation PowerOFF, an “ongoing, coordinated effort among international law enforcement agencies aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide, and holding accountable the administrators and users of these illegal services”.

law enforcement operations have led to the charging of 12 defendants for their role in facilitating similar services and the seizure of more than 100 DDoS-for-hire domains.

“The multi-prong investigation announced today builds on the success of the prior cases by targeting all known booter sites, shutting down as many as possible, and undertaking a public education campaign,” the DOJ said.

NightmareStresser has a swathe of popular reviews on the community rating site Trustpilot, ironically, with an overall rating of 3.9 out of five stars.

“I have been using the service for over a year,” said one review. “Everything is great.”

Not anymore, apparently.

David Hollingworth has been writing technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk Lego.