WIREDGOV

The National Crime Agency has participated in a global operation to degrade some of the most popular services used by cyber criminals to carry out cyber attacks that affect public services and cripple businesses in the UK.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, which are illegal in the UK under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, enable cyber criminals to flood targets with illegal traffic, rendering websites inaccessible and causing significant harm to businesses and critical national infrastructure - often preventing people from accessing essential public services.

DDoS-for-hire or 'booter' and 'stresser' site services provide a one stop shop for offenders to easily order DDoS attacks within a matter of minutes.

Operation Power OFF, Europol-coordinated action with the NCA and partners across 15 countries, resulted in the arrest of three website administrators in France and Germany and the seizure of 27 DDoS-for-hire platforms, including zdstresser.net, orbitalstress.net, and starkstresser.net.

The NCA and policing partners have compiled large amounts of evidence relating to users of these platforms and officers will be targeting those based in the UK. Depending on the level of offending, users will be arrested or warned about engaging in cyber-crime and information relating to those based overseas will be passed to international law enforcement.

As part of the joint action, the NCA has also today launched a Google ads campaign in the UK. These ads will reach thousands of people and include targeted messaging aimed at young people searching for DDoS-for-hire tools on Google, warning them not to use these services.

Frank Tutty, from the NCA's National Cyber Crime Unit, said: 

"DDoS-for-hire services are a key component of cyber crime, and enable individuals with limited technical capability to offend with ease due to their ease of access and perceived anonymity.

"Operation Power OFF helps to undermine trust in this criminal marketplace and make cyber criminals think twice before unleashing DDoS attacks, which can have serious consequences.

"We know that Booter services are an attractive entry-level cyber crime, and users can go on to even more serious offending. Therefore, tackling this threat doesn't just involve arresting offenders, it includes steering people away from straying into cyber crime and helping them make the right cyber choices.

"This is why our Google ad campaign is such a crucial part of this overarching operation, preventing would-be offenders from engaging with them in the first place, in tandem with enforcement action undertaken by law enforcement partners around the world."