Law enforcement agencies conducted an operation to eliminate the Dstat.cc platform used to coordinate DDoS attacks. As part of the international operation "PowerOFF", two suspects were arrested involved in the operation of this platform, which acted as a DDoS review service and recommending "stressers" for various types of attacks.
Dstat.cc did not provide DDoS services directly, but served as a platform where attackers shared information about the effectiveness of their attacks. Through the platform's Telegram channel, which had 6,600 members, cybercriminals discussed recent attacks and offered their services. This channel is now blocked and messages have been deleted.
The detention operation was initiated by the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime at the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office and supported by the German Federal and State Police. The detained were men aged 19 and 28, who are also suspected of managing the Flight RCS synthetic drug market, which is available in the public domain.
According to the German Federal Criminal Office, Dstat.cc platforms offering so-called "stresser" services are actively used by hacktivists, including Killnet and Passion, to attack critical infrastructures in Europe and the United States, including hospitals and healthcare systems.
"Stressers" are online services that are designed to perform stress tests on websites or network systems by simulating large amounts of traffic. Initially, such tools were developed for legal purposes to test how the system withstands high loads. However, stressors are often used by attackers to perform DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, overloading the server or network of the target resource with a huge number of requests, which leads to the temporary unavailability of the service.
As part of Operation PowerOFF, searches and seizures were carried out at seven facilities in Germany, France, Greece, Iceland and the United States. The arrested suspects will be tried under Article 127 of the German Criminal Code, which provides for a punishment of up to ten years in prison.
This is not the first time that Operation PowerOFF has disrupted the activities of DDoS services. Previously, DigitalStress platforms in the UK and several other "stressors" in Poland were blocked. Over the past two years, DDoS attacks have been gaining popularity among activists seeking to use cyberattacks for political pressure or blackmail.
It is noteworthy that many users who provide resources for attacks do not realize the illegality of such actions. For example, the Dutch police recently sent warnings to users of one of the previously dissolved services, warning of the consequences of continuing such activities.
Source
Dstat.cc did not provide DDoS services directly, but served as a platform where attackers shared information about the effectiveness of their attacks. Through the platform's Telegram channel, which had 6,600 members, cybercriminals discussed recent attacks and offered their services. This channel is now blocked and messages have been deleted.
The detention operation was initiated by the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime at the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office and supported by the German Federal and State Police. The detained were men aged 19 and 28, who are also suspected of managing the Flight RCS synthetic drug market, which is available in the public domain.
According to the German Federal Criminal Office, Dstat.cc platforms offering so-called "stresser" services are actively used by hacktivists, including Killnet and Passion, to attack critical infrastructures in Europe and the United States, including hospitals and healthcare systems.
"Stressers" are online services that are designed to perform stress tests on websites or network systems by simulating large amounts of traffic. Initially, such tools were developed for legal purposes to test how the system withstands high loads. However, stressors are often used by attackers to perform DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, overloading the server or network of the target resource with a huge number of requests, which leads to the temporary unavailability of the service.
As part of Operation PowerOFF, searches and seizures were carried out at seven facilities in Germany, France, Greece, Iceland and the United States. The arrested suspects will be tried under Article 127 of the German Criminal Code, which provides for a punishment of up to ten years in prison.
This is not the first time that Operation PowerOFF has disrupted the activities of DDoS services. Previously, DigitalStress platforms in the UK and several other "stressors" in Poland were blocked. Over the past two years, DDoS attacks have been gaining popularity among activists seeking to use cyberattacks for political pressure or blackmail.
It is noteworthy that many users who provide resources for attacks do not realize the illegality of such actions. For example, the Dutch police recently sent warnings to users of one of the previously dissolved services, warning of the consequences of continuing such activities.
Source
