The FBI has seized a notorious site called “NightmareStresser” that’s been fueling hundreds of thousands DDoS attacks to knock services offline.
Since at least 2020, NightmareStresser had sold access to users looking to launch Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks, which can overwhelm and disrupt access to internet services. But on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced the FBI had used court-authorized orders to seize domains belonging to the DDoS provider.
“According to the seizure warrant affidavit, the NightmareStresser Booter service targeted in this operation was used to launch hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted DDoS attacks targeting victims worldwide since 2022,” the department added.
The site’s main domain at nightmare-stresser.com has since been replaced with an FBI seizure notice. Back in 2022, federal agents previously seized the group’s other domain at nightmarestresser.com while charging six suspects behind dozens of DDoS-for-hire services.
NightmareStresser had over 566,000 registered users, providing an easy way for anyone to launch a DDoS attack, according to a 2023 report from cybersecurity provider Searchlight Cyber. The site was charging between €25 to €19,999 for a variety of DDoS methods and intensities.
NightmareStresser itself touted : “Backed by the most experienced minds in the DDoS industry, it now stands tall as the longest-running, most powerful, and most respected platform of its kind. For over 8 relentless years, NightmareStresser hasn’t gone down.”
Although the site portrayed itself as offering stress-testing services, the FBI says NightmareStresser's actual customers were using the service "to facilitate attacks on victims in the District of Alaska and across the United States."
The FBI’s takedown is part of Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing effort from international law enforcement to crack down on DDoS services. Still, it’s possible NightmareStresser could return with a new site.
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