US takes down NightmareStresser DDoS-for-hire platform
FBI seized NightmareStresser, a DDoS-for-hire platform with 566,000 users and servers capable of 200 Gbps attacks, under Operation PowerOFF.
US law enforcement seized the nightmare-stresser[.]com and nightmarestresser[.]org domains used by the DDoS-for-hire service. Searchlight Cyber reported in 2023 that NightmareStresser had over 566,000 registered users and 52 dedicated servers launching attacks of up to 200 Gbps against Layer 4 and Layer 7 targets. The FBI said the service was used for hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted DDoS attacks since 2022. The action continues Operation PowerOFF, which began in December 2018 and previously took down DigitalStress, Dstat.cc and dozens of booter domains.
U.S. Seizes NightmareStresser Domains Linked to Hundreds of Thousands of DDoS Attacksnew
The U.S. DoJ seized NightmareStresser DDoS-for-hire domains, disrupting a booter service linked to hundreds of thousands of attacks since 2022.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a court-authorized seizure of nightmare-stresser[.]com and nightmarestresser[.]org, conducted with the FBI Anchorage Field Office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of Operation PowerOFF. Searchlight Cyber reported in 2023 that NightmareStresser had over 566,000 registered users and 52 servers, offering Layer 4 amplification and Layer 7 floods against education, government, and gaming victims. The seizure follows earlier actions, including 48 domains seized in December 2022 and 53 domains plus four arrests this April, bringing totals to twelve charged defendants and more than 100 seized domains.
Jail time for Maine child in 764 marks turning point in federal law enforcement
A 17-year-old from Maine became the first minor federally adjudicated for 764 extremist crimes, including child exploitation, signaling a policy shift on prosecuting juveniles.
The FBI said a Maine teenager is the first child federally charged and adjudicated for crimes tied to the nihilistic violent extremist collective 764, part of The Com network. Charges include conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, distributing CSAM, interstate threats, cyberstalking, and identity theft. The case marks a turning point in federal policy on prosecuting juveniles and continues heightened enforcement: Kyle Spitze was sentenced to 77 years and Alexis Chavez to 40 years in related cases. The FBI is investigating more than 500 subjects connected to 764 and its offshoots nationwide.
Party’s Over for Crypto Scammers Who Went on a Spending Spree After a $240 Million Bitcoin Theft
Malone Lam's plea hearing approaches in the $240 million bitcoin social engineering theft; the case highlights surging crypto fraud and limited enforcement.
Malone Lam, accused of organizing a social engineering attack that stole over $240 million in bitcoin (4,100+ BTC) from a Washington, D.C. resident in August 2024, has a plea agreement hearing set. Callers impersonating Google and Gemini staff tricked the victim into revealing security codes. Lam and 17 co-defendants spent lavishly before FBI arrests; crypto investment fraud complaints to the FBI rose nearly 50% in 2025 while DOJ disbanded its crypto crimes unit.
Early 764 member sentenced to 77 years, longest prison term to date for a nihilistic violent extremist
Kyle Spitze, an early 764 member, was sentenced to 77 years for producing CSAM, the longest sentence for a nihilistic violent extremist.
Kyle William Spitze, an original member of the 764 nihilistic violent extremist network and administrator of the Harm Nation offshoot, was sentenced to 77 years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty in December 2024 to producing child sexual abuse material, possession of CSAM, and distributing animal crush videos, victimizing dozens of girls through coercion, doxing and swatting threats. Investigators found roughly 25 photo albums of abuse imagery on his phone and evidence of animal torture. The Justice Department framed the sentence as a signal in a broader enforcement push against 764, which has seen multiple members arrested or sentenced since 2025.