The U.S. Department of Justice last week announced a sweeping crackdown on distributed denial-of-service (DDoS)-for-hire services, seizing 27 domains tied to illegal cyberattack platforms and filing criminal charges against two alleged operators — one of them from Anchorage, and the other from Brazil. The move marks an escalation in the fight against cybercrime, targeting services that have facilitated millions of attacks on victims worldwide.
The seized websites, commonly referred to as “booter” services, enabled paying customers to launch DDoS attacks that overwhelm targeted systems with excessive internet traffic, rendering them inoperable.
Victims included schools, government agencies, gaming platforms, and private individuals. Law enforcement described the services as a major threat to internet stability, often disrupting essential services and causing significant financial and reputational harm.
The Justice Department did not say what kind of attacks were initiated by the Alaska-associated suspect.
Two individuals have been charged in connection with operating booter services:
- Ricardo Cesar Colli (aka “TotemanGames”), 22, of Brazil, was charged in Los Angeles with running a service known as Securityhide.net. Colli faces conspiracy and computer fraud charges under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
- A defendant whose name remains under seal, was charged in Anchorage but has not been rounded up, as of Dec. 11. U.S. prosecutors are coordinating with international partners to secure the individual’s arrest and extradition, the DOJ said.
Both cases were developed through investigations led by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Anchorage field offices.
Booter services, often marketed as “stressers” for legitimate network testing, have long been a cover for illegal activities. Investigators revealed that communications between site administrators and customers made it clear these services were being used to attack third parties, not the customers’ own systems.
The seized domains collectively facilitated millions of DDoS attacks targeting organizations and individuals globally. The operation comes ahead of the holiday season, a period notorious for spikes in cyberattacks.
“DDoS attacks are a potent cyber weapon with the proven potential to disrupt critical information systems and infrastructure,” said Kenneth DeChellis, Special Agent in Charge of DCIS Cyber Field Office.
Operation PowerOFF builds on the Justice Department’s success in recent years, including the seizure of over 75 booter domains and prosecution of nine defendants in similar cases. This latest action targets all known booter sites, with ongoing investigations into their operators and customers.