The FBI is now in the process of seizing the websites that allowed paying users to launch powerful distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks that flood targeted computers with information and prevent them from being able to access the internet. Booter services such as those named in this action allegedly attacked a wide array of victims in the United States and abroad, including educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of individuals. In addition to affecting targeted victims, these attacks can significantly degrade internet services and can completely disrupt internet connections.
The websites targeted in this operation were used to launch millions of actual or attempted DDoS attacks targeting victims worldwide. While some of these services claimed to offer “stresser” services that could purportedly be used for network testing, the FBI determined these claims to be a pretense, and “thousands of communications between booter site administrators and their customers…make clear that both parties are aware that the customer is not attempting to attack their own computers,” according to an affidavit filed in support of court-authorized warrants to seize the booter sites.
read more (DoJ)
The websites targeted in this operation were used to launch millions of actual or attempted DDoS attacks targeting victims worldwide. While some of these services claimed to offer “stresser” services that could purportedly be used for network testing, the FBI determined these claims to be a pretense, and “thousands of communications between booter site administrators and their customers…make clear that both parties are aware that the customer is not attempting to attack their own computers,” according to an affidavit filed in support of court-authorized warrants to seize the booter sites.
read more (DoJ)