In a decisive strike against cybercriminal infrastructure, German police have disbanded the illegal service dstat[.]cc, a platform that enabled users to launch distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults, often without requiring substantial technical knowledge.
This service’s accessibility for novice threat actors—enabling attacks with minimal expertise—has been a point of concern, as highlighted by the German Federal Criminal Police Office, also known as the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA). In their statement, the BKA noted that stresser services like these are increasingly scrutinized during cybercrime investigations.
The BKA depicted dstat[.]cc as a portal that not only facilitated DDoS operations but also provided curated recommendations and evaluations of various stresser services, all aimed at helping users incapacitate target websites, leaving them unresponsive and vulnerable.
A report from Radware further expounds on the platform’s reach, describing dstat[.]cc as a venue where operators of botnets could gauge the potency of their DDoS capabilities. According to Radware, “Bot herders frequent DStat sites to showcase and evaluate the strength of their botnet, booter, or script by testing against both exposed and shielded systems.”
By orchestrating demonstration assaults, dstat[.]cc allowed these operators to rate and catalog booting services, offering comparative reviews and direct contact details, thus assisting potential clients in identifying the most effective tool for their disruptive objectives.
As part of this crackdown, two individuals, aged 19 and 28, have been apprehended in the regions of Darmstadt and Rhein-Lahn. These suspects are accused not only of cybercriminal activities but also of facilitating substantial narcotics trafficking. Specifically, the pair allegedly marketed and distributed synthetic cannabinoid compounds and other designer substances through an online outlet known as Flight RCS, accessible on the standard internet rather than on the dark web.
The dismantling of dstat[.]cc represents one phase of Operation PowerOFF, an extensive law enforcement campaign targeting DDoS-for-hire services. This operation has already led to the shutdown of multiple DDoS rental platforms, including digitalstress[.]su and Anonymous Sudan, curtailing malicious capabilities available for hire.
