Polish Authorities Dismantle Global DDoS-for-Hire Network: Four Arrested
Polish authorities have arrested four individuals behind six DDoS-for-hire platforms responsible for global cyberattacks. Learn about the international operation and its impact on cybersecurity.
TL;DR
Polish authorities, in coordination with international law enforcement, have arrested four individuals linked to six DDoS-for-hire platforms. These platforms were used to launch global cyberattacks on various organizations for as little as €10. This operation is part of the ongoing initiative Operation PowerOFF, aimed at dismantling booter services.
Main Content
Polish police have arrested four individuals behind six DDoS-for-hire platforms—Cfxapi, Cfxsecurity, neostress, jetstress, quickdown, and zapcut—used to launch global cyberattacks for as little as €10. These platforms facilitated thousands of attacks against schools, government services, businesses, and gaming platforms between 2022 and 2025.
“In the latest blow to the criminal market for distributed denial of service (DDoS)-for-hire services, Polish authorities have arrested four individuals who allegedly ran a network of platforms used to launch thousands of cyberattacks worldwide. The suspects are believed to be behind six separate stresser/booter services that enabled paying customers to flood websites and servers with malicious traffic — knocking them offline for as little as EUR 10.” 1
Stresser/booter services are online platforms that offer Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks as a paid service. Originally marketed as tools to test the robustness of networks, they are often used for malicious activities. These services industrialize DDoS attacks using rented infrastructure and are sold anonymously via underground forums and the dark web.
The international operation involved coordination among Europol, the U.S., Germany, and the Netherlands. Dutch authorities deployed fake booter sites and shared seized data, aiding in the arrests. The U.S. seized nine booter domains, and Germany helped identify suspects, highlighting global coordination against DDoS services.
The seizure of these platforms is part of Operation PowerOFF, an ongoing international law enforcement initiative launched in 2018 to combat booter platforms. In December 2024, this operation disrupted 27 popular DDoS platforms, including zdstresser.net, orbitalstress.net, and starkstresser.net.
In November 2024, German police shut down the DDoS-for-hire platform Dstat.cc, which allowed customers to launch DDoS attacks. Two men from Darmstadt and Rhein-Lahn were arrested for managing criminal infrastructure used for DDoS attacks and large-scale drug trafficking.
The suspects were also accused of running the online platform Flight RCS, which sold designer drugs and synthetic cannabinoids. They face charges of operating a criminal trading platform for commercial and gang activities. Police seized both Dstat.cc and Flight RCS platforms and searched seven properties in Germany.
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Conclusion
The arrest of these individuals and the dismantling of their DDoS-for-hire platforms mark a significant victory in the fight against cybercrime. International cooperation remains crucial in combating the global threat of DDoS attacks and ensuring cybersecurity.
References
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Europol (2025). “DDoS-for-hire empire brought down: Poland arrests 4 administrators, US seizes 9 domains”. Europol. Retrieved 2025-05-08. ↩︎