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"DDoS-For-Bitcoin" Blackmailers Arrested (softpedia.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the throw-away-the-key dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The DDoSing outfit that spawned the trend of "DDoS-for-Bitcoin" has been arrested by Europol in Bosnia Herzegovina last month. DD4BC first appeared in September 2015, when Akamai blew the lid on their activities. Since then almost any script kiddie that can launch DDoS attacks has followed their business model by blackmailing companies for Bitcoin.

27 comments

  1. Criminals also prefer fast cars by Lennie · · Score: 1

    I can see at least some advantages:
    - Bitcoin payments can not be reversed (like with bank transfers, or Paypal).
    - Bitcoin works across international borders.

    --
    New things are always on the horizon
    1. Re:Criminals also prefer fast cars by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      Bitcoin is also traceable, by design. See also: irreversible

  2. Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    From TFA:

    ... The organization's tactics spawned multiple copycat groups, which later spawned their own copycats, and the DDoS-4-Bitcoin extortion scheme has become a regular practice these days ...

    It is a sad world when even the criminals are running out of fresh ideas

    1. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by gweihir · · Score: 3, Insightful

      As long as the old ones are working well because security costs money and hence universally sucks...

      Do not forget that DDoS is only possible because so many people run poorly secured computers. If it were expensive to hack computers, DDoS-based extortion would not pay off. These people are like the flea that settle in when hygiene is poor. They are a symptom, not the real problem.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Few people go through the tough road of coming up with fresh ideas, most people are copycats... look around you.

    3. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Big+Hairy+Ian · · Score: 1

      What extortion is was a new idea for these wankers? Criminals like Hollywood have simply been rehashing old ideas for a very long time!

      --

      Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.

    4. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Many people go through the tough road of coming up with fresh ideas, most people are copycats... look around you.

    5. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      Eh, so we use McAfee brand flea powder, except he snorted it all.

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    6. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      udpshame.com lists every vulnerable NTP server in North America that is enabling this problem. Everyone should see if their org is on the list.

    7. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by sjames · · Score: 1

      No. They are the problem. The DDOS attacks are a symptom of not solving the problem.

      In an ideal world, you could leave a big pile of money on your doorstep and it will still be there when you return. We live in a non-ideal world, so we know that doesn't work out in practice, but it doesn't make the assholes who take the money any less assholes.

    8. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by gweihir · · Score: 1

      You must be one of those nil-whits that think harsher penalties, putting everybody in prison that does not agree with your world-view. etc. actually works. It does not. Ignoring reality is a sure way to make things worse though.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    9. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Aighearach · · Score: 1

      There are no fresh scams. "On a computer" is not innovation.

    10. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You obviously have a lot more experience in that area, so you tell me.

    11. Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas? by sjames · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure where you read that from?!? Certainly not. I firmly believe that if something has the opposite of the desired effect, doubling down is the height of stupidity.

      Are you actually trying to defend extortion or did you just need an excuse to bray like an ass?

  3. The DDoSing outfit that spawned the trend? by denzacar · · Score: 1

    They arrested TWO (1+1) people, and promptly let one of them loose to "defend themselves from outside incarceration" - i.e. released on their own recognizance.
    The other guy, who is in custody, is a philosophy professor.

    That's it. Smallest of the little fish.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  4. Re: I Bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OK!

  5. Why not mining? by xororand · · Score: 1

    I do wonder why they're not mining CPU coins like Monero on their zombies instead?

  6. How about REALLY punishing them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Honestly, I'm sick of all of this highly premeditated cyber crime, physical crime, whatever. Middle class white collar hackers are doing it because they don't fear the repercussions. Maybe we need to go back to the medieval days where theft of any sort (including and especially white collar crime) is punishable by serious hard labor, and serious physical crimes, rape, attempted murder, etc by death (or at least castration - cut a few fuckers nuts off and just watch the crime rates drop).