"DDoS-For-Bitcoin" Blackmailers Arrested

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.

Criminals also prefer fast cars

[Lennie]

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

Re:

[Aighearach]

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

Criminals running out of fresh ideas?

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Re:Criminals running out of fresh ideas?

[gweihir]

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.

Re:

[fustakrakich]

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

Re:

[sjames]

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.

Re:

[gweihir]

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.

Re:

[sjames]

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?

Re:

[Big Hairy Ian]

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

Re:

[Aighearach]

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

The DDoSing outfit that spawned the trend?

[denzacar]

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.

Why not mining?

[xororand]

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