{"id":53094,"date":"2023-05-08T18:45:34","date_gmt":"2023-05-09T01:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=53094"},"modified":"2023-05-08T18:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T01:45:34","slug":"feds-seized-13-internet-domains-with-booter-websites-that-offered-computer-attack-services-arrests-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=53094","title":{"rendered":"Feds Seized 13 Internet Domains With “Booter” Websites That Offered Computer Attack Services, Arrests Made"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The\u00a0Justice Department<\/span> has announced the seizure of 13 internet domains associated with DDoS-for-hire services as part of an ongoing initiative targeting computer attack “booter” services.<\/span><\/p>\n

The seizures are the third wave of U.S. law enforcement actions against prominent booter services that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks that flood targeted computers with information and prevent them from accessing the internet. <\/span><\/p>\n

Data relating to the operation of booter sites previously seized by law enforcement show that hundreds of thousands of registered users have used these services to launch millions of attacks against millions of victims.<\/span><\/p>\n

School districts, universities, financial institutions, and government websites are among the victims who have been targeted in attacks launched by booter services.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MacBook
Photo by Andras Vas<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ten of the 13 domains seized today are reincarnations of services that were seized during a\u00a0prior sweep in December<\/a>, which targeted 48 top booter services. For example, one of the domains seized this week \u2013 cyberstress.org \u2013 appears to be the same service operated under the domain cyberstress.us, which was seized in\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 December. While many of the previously disrupted booter services have not returned, today\u2019s action reflects law enforcement\u2019s commitment to targeting those operators who have chosen to continue their criminal activities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Authorities emphasized that investigations into booter services remain ongoing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Concerning the domains seized this week, the FBI opened or renewed accounts with each booter service and used cryptocurrency to pay for subscription plans. <\/span><\/p>\n

Each service was tested by using the website to launch DDoS attacks on computers controlled by the FBI. <\/span><\/p>\n

The FBI then observed the effects of the attacks on their \u201cvictim\u201d computers, confirming that the booter websites operated as advertised.<\/span><\/p>\n

In some cases, despite the \u201cvictim\u201d computer being on a network with a large capacity, the test attack was so powerful that it completely severed the internet connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to harming victims by disrupting or degrading access to the internet, attacks from booter services can also completely sever internet connections for other customers served by the same internet service provider via a shared connection point.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVictims who are attacked by such services, or those providing Internet services to the victims, often have to \u2018overprovision,\u2019 that is, pay for increased Internet bandwidth in order to absorb the attacks, or subscribe to DDoS protection services, or purchase specialized hardware designed to mitigate the effects of DDoS attacks,\u201d according to the affidavit in support of the seizure warrants filed this week. \u201cThe prices of such overprovision or DDoS protection services are usually significantly more expensive than the cost of a given booter service.<\/span><\/a>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In conjunction with the domain seizures, the Justice Department announced today that four defendants charged in Los Angeles in\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0late 2022 pleaded guilty earlier this year to federal charges and admitted that they operated or participated in the operation of booter services. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those defendants are:<\/span><\/p>\n