THE US Department of Justice has seized the internet domains associated with NightmareStresser, a long-running DDoS-for-hire service, in a court-authorised action led by the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office with support from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The seizure prevents customers from using the service to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks against targets in Alaska and worldwide.
Authorities describe such “booter” or “stresser” platforms as services that allow paying users to select targets and launch attacks, often without technical expertise.
According to the DOJ and an affidavit supporting the seizure warrant, NightmareStresser was used for hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted DDoS attacks against victims worldwide since 2022. Potential victims included educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms and millions of internet users; attacks can significantly degrade services or completely disrupt internet connections.
The action forms part of the international Operation PowerOFF campaign, which has previously involved domain seizures, arrests and warning letters to users. The DOJ said earlier investigations led by prosecutors and investigators in Anchorage and Los Angeles over the past eight years resulted in charges against 12 defendants and the seizure of more than 100 domains linked to DDoS-for-hire services.
Authorities acknowledged that these services can reappear after takedowns, but said the current investigation aims to identify and shut down as many known booter sites as possible, alongside a public education campaign.