FBI seizes NightmareStresser DDoS-for-hire platform

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized the domains used by NightmareStresser, one of the world's longest-running distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) platforms.

Before nightmare-stresser[.]com and nightmarestresser[.]org were taken down, the service called itself the “#1 online IP booter” and “the only DDoS tool available 24/7.” Booter services rent access to compromised routers and IoT devices for attacks against online platforms and services.

Searchlight Cyber reported in 2023 that NightmareStresser had more than 566,000 registered users and 52 dedicated servers. The servers could launch attacks of up to 200 Gbps against multiple network layers, including Layer 7 application protocols and Layer 4 TCP/UDP protocols.

The FBI Cyber Division said the service had been used since 2022 to launch hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted attacks against victims worldwide. The seizure was supported by Operation PowerOFF, an international law-enforcement effort. In December 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) also seized the nightmarestresser[.]com domain and arrested six suspects who allegedly owned multiple DDoS-for-hire services.

Operation PowerOFF began in December 2018 with the seizure of 15 websites linked to DDoS-as-a-service platforms. Other actions included the seizure of 13 domains and 48 additional domains hosting booter platforms. Polish authorities also detained four suspects linked to six platforms behind thousands of attacks since 2022, while the U.S. seized nine domains in the coordinated crackdown.