U.S. authorities have seized internet domains connected to NightmareStresser, a long-running service that allowed customers to pay for distributed denial-of-service attacks against websites and other online systems.
The court-authorized action targeted infrastructure used by NightmareStresser, which the U.S. Department of Justice describes as one of the world’s longest-running DDoS-for-hire services.
According to an affidavit supporting the seizure warrant, NightmareStresser has been used for hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted attacks against targets around the world since 2022.
DDoS-for-hire platforms, commonly called “booters” or “stressers,” provide customers with an easy way to overwhelm internet-connected systems with large volumes of traffic. Successful attacks can slow websites and online services, make them inaccessible, or disrupt internet connections.
Although such platforms are sometimes presented as legitimate network stress-testing services, authorities have repeatedly found them being used to attack systems that customers do not own or have permission to test.
NightmareStresser’s customers targeted victims in the United States and other countries. The Justice Department identified educational institutions, government agencies, and gaming platforms among the types of organizations affected by DDoS-for-hire attacks.
The latest operation involved the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The seizure was authorized by the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
Two domains associated with the service, nightmare-stresser.com and nightmarestresser.org, were taken under law enforcement control. Visitors are now presented with a seizure notice rather than the service previously offered through the websites.
The action is part of Operation PowerOFF, an international law enforcement effort focused on dismantling commercial DDoS infrastructure and pursuing the people responsible for operating or using it.
NightmareStresser is the latest target in a much wider campaign against the DDoS-for-hire market. Over the past eight years, investigations involving federal authorities in Alaska and Los Angeles have resulted in charges against 12 defendants accused of facilitating DDoS services.
More than 100 internet domains associated with these services have also been seized during previous operations.
Earlier actions have demonstrated how easily commercial attack platforms can return under new domains after their infrastructure is disrupted. Authorities have therefore combined domain seizures with criminal investigations, international cooperation and efforts to discourage potential customers from using DDoS-for-hire platforms.
The Justice Department did not announce arrests or new criminal charges against NightmareStresser administrators alongside the latest seizure. For now, the operation has focused on removing domains used by the service and disrupting its ability to provide DDoS attacks to customers.
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