German Police Raid FlyHosting, a DDoS-Friendly Hosting Provider

 

In a report, German authorities have seized Internet servers used by FlyHosting, a dark web company that offers DDoS-for-hire services. On November 20, 2022, FlyHosting posted an advertisement on a cybercrime forum to attract customers. The company stated that it is a German hosting company offering services to anyone searching for an environment to host malware, botnet controllers, or a DDoS-for-hire platform that can handle traffic spikes for hire. 

According to a statement issued today by the German Federal Criminal Police Office, they performed eight searches on March 30 to investigate criminal activity. Moreover, five individuals between the ages of 16 and 24 have been identified as suspected operators of "internet services" since 2021. As far as the suspects and the service in question were concerned, no names or other details were given by the German authorities. 

This statement indicates that previously unknown perpetrators used the Internet services provided by the suspects, in particular, for 'DDoS attacks'. These are attacks by which a large number of data packets are transmitted simultaneously via the Internet in an attempt to disrupt other data processing systems. 

According to a Telegram chat channel frequented by individuals interested or involved in the DDoS-for-hire industry, a raid on FlyHosting surfaced on Thursday morning. FlyHosting's customers have just heard the following news from Dstatcc. 

Several weeks ago, Flyhosting moved its system into an upgraded police room, according to the warning. As per the police, the support provided for DDO attacks, C&C/C2, and Stresser were not working properly. The police are expected to investigate files, payment logs, and IPs further. 

As a result of the DDoS attacks facilitated by the defendants in several cases since mid-2021, the websites of several companies as well as the Hesse Police have been overloaded in several cases. According to German authorities, the defendants' websites cannot operate fully because of these attacks. This means they will not be able to function at all times and in all places as a result of these attacks. 

There has been a report in the media that police have searched and seized the mobile phones, laptops, tablets, storage media, and handwritten notes of two unnamed defendants in connection with this case. Moreover, the police also confiscated servers in the Netherlands, Germany, and Finland that were provided by suspects. Germany's Hessen Police confirmed in response to questions in an interview that FlyHosting was the subject of the seizures.

There seems to be a broader clampdown on DDoS-for-hire services by law enforcement around the world, which is the probable reason for the raids on FlyHosting. Earlier this week, the National Crime Agency announced that it has been establishing phony DDoS-for-hire websites, which are intended to gather information on users as well as remind users that launching DDoS attacks is illegal. As a result, people seeking such services may become more paranoid due to this. 

There have been reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Operation Power Off in December 2022. This was an operation aimed at seizing more than four dozen domains responsible for over 30 million DDoS attacks. This operation has led to six U.S. men being charged with computer crimes for allegedly owning popular DDoS-for-hire companies that cybercriminals attacked.