An functioning led past times the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) as well as the Dutch Police, dubbed "Power Off," amongst the back upwards of Europol as well as a dozen other law enforcement agencies, resulted inwards the arrest of half-dozen members of the grouping behind the "webstresser.org" website inwards Scotland, Croatia, Canada as well as Serbia on Tuesday.
With over 136,000 registered users, Webstresser website lets its customers rent the service for nigh £10 to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against their targets amongst piddling or no technical knowledge.
"With webstresser.org, whatever registered user could pay a nominal fee using online payment systems or cryptocurrencies to rent out the utilisation of stressers as well as booters," Europol said.The service was too responsible for cyber attacks against 7 of the UK's biggest banks inwards Nov final year, every bit good every bit authorities institutions as well as gaming industry.
"It's a growing problem, as well as 1 nosotros accept real seriously. Criminals are real proficient at collaborating, victimizing millions of users inwards a moment from anywhere inwards the world," said Steven Wilson, Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3).
The Webstresser site has instantly been near down, as well as its infrastructure has been seized inwards the Netherlands, Germany, as well as the United States. The site has been replaced amongst a page announcing that law enforcement authorities had taken the service offline.
"As purpose of the operational activity, an address was identified as well as searched inwards Bradford as well as a pose out of items seized," NCA said.
Moreover, the authorities lead maintain too taken against the transcend users of this marketplace inwards the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada as well as Hong Kong, Europol announced.
The Dutch police pull said the Operation Power Off should mail a clear alert to users of sites similar webstresser.
"Don't exercise it," Gert Ras, caput of the Dutch police's High Tech Crime unit, said. "By tracking downwardly the DDoS service you lot use, nosotros strip you lot of your anonymity, mitt you lot a criminal tape as well as pose your victims inwards a seat to claim dorsum damages from you."
The police pull too reminded people that DDoSing is a crime, for which the "penalties tin survive severe." If you lot deport a DDoS attack, or make, provide or obtain stresser or booter services, you lot could cease upwards inwards prison, as well as fine or both.
