In a major development, prosecutors have charged six people in connection with allegedly waging massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks across the world. The attacks, involving hundreds of thousands of computers and cameras, have caused widespread disruption to online services and have led to substantial economic losses and other harm to organizations.
The Department of Justice announced that two Lithuanian citizens, a Russian, and three others from Kazakhstan were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to damage protected computers, and aggravated identity theft. The accused is believed to have been members of a cybercrime group known as DD4BC, which prosecutors claim was responsible for launching DDoS attacks on more than 400 companies across dozens of countries.
The six people allegedly used malicious software to launch DDoS attacks, which involved flooding websites with unwanted traffic and bringing down their services. In many cases, the attackers contacted companies and offered to lift the attack for a ransom. The accused are alleged to have demanded payments in the form of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
The case was investigated by an array of federal law enforcement bodies, including the FBI, US Secret Service, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security. The defendants are believed to have caused an estimated loss of approximately $29 million to the victims of the attacks.
This case serves as a reminder that cybercrime is an ever-growing threat and needs to be addressed with the utmost seriousness. It is important to note that the accused had previously been indicted in the US on similar charges in 2018. With the amount of money involved increasing and new criminal gangs emerging, it underscores the need for continued vigilance with regard to cyber security.
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