Law enforcement agencies worldwide have disrupted a holiday tradition for cybercriminals: launching Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks to take websites offline.
As part of an ongoing international crackdown known as PowerOFF, authorities have seized 27 of the most popular platforms used to carry out these attacks. Known as ‘booter’ and ‘stresser’ websites, these platforms enabled cybercriminals and hacktivists to flood targets with illegal traffic, rendering websites and other web-based services inaccessible. This multifaceted operation, coordinated by Europol and involving 15 countries, targeted all levels of those engaged in this crime.
Read more…
Source: Europol
Related:
- IT security analyst admits hijacking cyber attack to pocket ransom payments
May 24, 2023
A former IT security analyst at Oxford Biomedica has admitted, five years after the fact, to turning to the dark side – by hijacking a cyber attack against his own company in an attempt to divert any ransom payments to himself. Ashley Liles, of Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, pleaded guilty at Reading Crown Court to blackmail ...
- UK’s GDPR replacement could wipe out oversight of live facial recognition
May 19, 2023
Biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner Professor Fraser Sampson has warned that independent oversight of facial recognition is at risk just as the policing minister plans to “embed” it into the force. He said this week that the widely slated use of facial recognition at the recent crowning of Charles III was “a glimpse into the future ...
- Man jailed for running multimillion-pound criminal website iSpoof
May 19, 2023
The man responsible for running a multimillion-pound fraud website, used by scammers to trick people into handing over their bank details, has been jailed. Tejay Fletcher, 35, pleaded guilty to running iSpoof, a website that allowed criminals and fraudsters to appear as if they were calling from banks, tax offices and other official bodies in an ...
- Balkans’ biggest drug lords arrested after investigation into encrypted phones
May 12, 2023
On 11 May, coordinated raids were carried out in Serbia and the Netherlands, targeting both the cartel’s leadership and distribution infrastructure. Seven other members of this criminal organisation were already arrested in Belgium in 2021. Two individuals were previously arrested for other offences in Serbia and Peru. Another suspect was arrested in the Netherlands on ...
- UK man pleads guilty to hijacking Twitter accounts including of Joe Biden and Elon Musk
May 10, 2023
A British man has pleaded guilty over his role in schemes to hack the Twitter accounts of celebrities including Joe Biden and Elon Musk, as well as stealing $794,000 in cryptocurrency. Joseph James O’Connor, 23, entered his guilty plea in a New York court after being extradited from Spain on 26 April. Read more… Source: The Guardian
- Spanish police dismantle phishing operation linked to crime ring
May 9, 2023
The National Police of Spain have arrested two hackers, 15 members of a criminal organization, and another 23 people involved in illegal financial operations in Madrid and Seville for alleged bank scams. The cybercrime operation is an email and SMS-based phishing campaign that allegedly scammed over 300,000 people and resulted in confirmed losses of at least ...