FBI Seizes NightmareStresser Domains in Crackdown on DDoS-for-Hire Service
The FBI seizes the domains of NightmareStresser, one of the world's longest-running DDoS-for-hire platforms. The service, which billed itself as the "#1 online IP booter," allows users to rent botnets of compromised routers and IoT devices to launch massive attacks against online services. Before the takedown, the platform claims to operate 24/7 and offers attacks reaching up to 200 Gbps.
According to the FBI Cyber Division, NightmareStresser facilitates hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted DDoS attacks against victims worldwide since 2022. Research from Searchlight Cyber finds the service has more than 566,000 registered users and 52 dedicated servers capable of targeting both Layer 7 application protocols and Layer 4 TCP/UDP protocols. A seizure banner now displayed on the seized domains states the action is supported by Operation PowerOFF, a coordinated international effort to dismantle criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructure.
This is not the first action against NightmareStresser, as the DOJ seizes the .com domain in December 2022 and arrests six suspects who allegedly own multiple booter services. Operation PowerOFF, running since December 2018, previously takes down DigitalStress in the UK, seizes the Dstat.cc review platform, and coordinates the arrest of operators in Poland. Polish authorities also detain four suspects linked to six booter platforms responsible for thousands of attacks on schools, government services, businesses, and gaming platforms worldwide.