The FBI seized the domains for NightmareStresser, a long-running service that let customers pay to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks against websites and online services worldwide. The bureau said the booter platform had been used since 2022 for hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted attacks and that the action was part of the international Operation PowerOFF crackdown on DDoS-for-hire infrastructure. Prior reporting tied NightmareStresser to more than 566,000 registered users and 52 servers capable of attacks up to 200 Gbps.
Why it matters: DDoS-for-hire services lower the barrier for attacking schools, businesses, government services, and gaming platforms, so taking one down can reduce immediate abuse and provide investigative leads. Organizations should still expect copycat or successor services and keep DDoS protections, rate limiting, and incident response contacts ready.
Sergiu Gatlan
2026.09.17
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct enforcement event: the 2026 FBI seizure of NightmareStresser's domains as part of Operation PowerOFF, not a repeat of the separate 2022 takedown and arrests.
info@thehackernews.com (The Hacker News)
2026.09.17
99% relevant
This article appears to cover the same seizure of NightmareStresser domains tied to a large-scale DDoS-for-hire service, adding another report on the law-enforcement takedown.
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