The Department of Justice Stops "DDoS for Hire" Sites, Just In Time For Christmas

The Department of Justice announced that the FBI has seized domains of  "DDoS-for-hire" websites and charged some people responsible for some of these services, earlier today. See below for a a list of domains.

“Whether you launch the DDoS attack or hire a DDoS service to do it for you, the FBI considers it criminal activity. Working with our industry and law enforcement partners, the FBI will identify and potentially prosecute you for this activity.  We will use every tool at our disposal to combat all forms of cybercrime including DDoS activity.  We encourage all DDoS victims to contact your local FBI field office or file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov”, said FBI Assistant Director Gorham.

The DDoS-for-Hire services seized were allegedly used to attack a large number of sites that included financial institutions, universities, internet service providers, government systems, and various gaming platforms.

“DDoS attacks are serious crimes that can cause real harm, as shown by the wide range of sectors allegedly victimized in this case,” said Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski.  “The operators and the customers of DDoS-for-hire services should be on notice that the Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute those who perpetrate malicious cyber attacks. DDoS for hire services such as these pose a significant national threat. Coordinated investigations and prosecutions such as these demonstrate the importance of cross-District collaboration and coordination with public sector partners.”  said U.S. Attorney Schroder. 

In addition to seizing these domains and services by the DoJ, the FBI has also filed criminal complaints against Matthew Gatrel, 30, and Juan Martinez, 25, two alleged cybercriminals for their  affiliation with the DDoS-for-hire services known as 'Downthem' and 'Ampnode.'
David Bukovski was charged for his work with "Quantum Stresser".

“The attack-for-hire websites targeted in this investigation offered customers the ability to disrupt computer networks on a massive scale, undermining the internet infrastructure on which we all rely. While this week’s crackdown will have a significant impact on this burgeoning criminal industry, there are other sites offering these services – and we will continue our efforts to rid the internet of these websites.  We are committed to seeing the internet remain a forum for the free and unfettered exchange of information.” said U.S. Attorney Hanna.
Full DoJ press release
Fifteen domains seized.

anonsecurityteam.com
booter.ninja
bullstresser.net
critical-boot.com
defcon.pro
defianceprotocol.com
downthem.org
layer7-stresser.xyz
netstress.org
quantumstress.net
ragebooter.com
request.rip
str3ssed.me   
torsecurityteam.org
Vbooter.org