U.S. and Canada Seize NightmareStresser DDoS-for-Hire Domains

U.S. and Canadian authorities have seized the primary domain and other websites associated with NightmareStresser, a long-running and popular "DDoS-for-hire" service used by cybercriminals worldwide. The action, announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on September 17, 2026, was carried out by the FBI's Anchorage Field Office and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as part of the ongoing international Operation PowerOFF. According to a seizure warrant affidavit cited by officials, NightmareStresser was used to launch hundreds of thousands of actual or attempted distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeting victims globally since at least 2022. The service, also known as a "booter" or "stresser," allowed paying customers to overwhelm websites, servers, and networks with junk traffic, rendering legitimate sites inaccessible. The DOJ stated that victims included educational institutions, government agencies, gaming platforms, and millions of individuals. The attacks could significantly degrade internet services or completely disrupt connections, affecting not only the primary target but also other users and services on the same network infrastructure.