The U.S. Justice Department announced on Apr. 16 that it has taken court-authorized actions to disrupt several leading Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Internet of Things botnet services.
The operation aims to curb the proliferation of DDoS-for-hire, or “booter,” services that enable users to pay for attacks targeting computers and servers, often causing significant disruptions for individuals and organizations worldwide.
According to the announcement, U.S. authorities have focused on charging administrators behind these botnets and seizing infrastructure such as websites used to facilitate attacks. The recent actions targeted a range of victims including schools, government agencies, gaming platforms, critical infrastructure—including Department of War resources—and millions of individuals both in the United States and abroad. Officials noted that beyond direct targets, these attacks can degrade internet service more broadly.
In Alaska, law enforcement seized eight domains associated with DDoS-for-hire operations such as “Vac Stresser” and “Mythical Stress,” which reportedly claimed to launch tens of thousands of attacks daily. Authorities also conducted searches involving backend servers supporting these services.
Efforts included a public education campaign alongside website seizures. Over the past four years in Anchorage and Los Angeles, more than 11 people have been charged for facilitating DDoS-for-hire activities while over 100 related domains have been seized. Law enforcement agencies partnered with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Netherlands Police, and others in deploying targeted online ads aimed at deterring potential offenders searching for DDoS services.
“Criminal DDoS-for-hire services impact internet services for victims across the country, including Alaska,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “This threat highlights the continued need to combat cybercrime services like booter providers. We continue to prioritize addressing these threats through collaborative domestic and international partnerships to safeguard critical internet infrastructure and services for all Americans.”
Special Agent in Charge Kenneth DeChellis from DCIS added: “Today’s announcement is the result of continued partnership between law enforcement and the private sector, targeting criminal DDoS services that threaten the integrity of the internet…DDoS is a clear threat to the Department and will continue to be a target of our investigative efforts.”
These measures are part of Operation PowerOFF—a coordinated international effort involving agencies such as EUROPOL; various U.S., European, Asian law enforcement bodies; private sector partners; academic institutions; and technology companies—to dismantle illegal DDoS infrastructures globally.
