
NHTCU arrests Russians over denial-of-service blackmail
By Andy McCue and Graeme Wearden
Published: 21 July 2004 14:45 BST
Britain's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) announced on Wednesday that it had helped to smash a Russian gang involved in online extortion and money-laundering.
Three men were arrested in a series of raids that targeted an online protection racket that threatened to crash websites unless the gang was paid off. More arrests are expected to follow.
The gangs were targeting online betting firms around the world, including several big UK names.
Earlier this year one UK bookmaker, who wished to remain anonymous, said his firm had been attacked several times. The gangs would typically contact the online firms through a customer-service email address on the website with a demand for around £10,000 to £30,000 and a warning that if it wasn't paid then a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack would be launched against the site during peak traffic hours.
The bookie said all the UK firms had refused to pay the ransom and had been working with the NHTCU to combat the attacks but admitted the cost of putting extra IT security measures in place was as much as £100,000 for some firms.
Blue Square was one of the firms that publicly admitted to being attacked after its site was taken down after blackmailers flooded it with a DDoS attack.
Betfair also revealed last month that during Euro 2004 it was hit by a DDoS attack that caused disruption to its service.
The NHTCU wouldn't say which Web sites the three men were suspected of targeting. A NHTCU spokeswoman suggested that the joint operation with the Russian police had some way to run.
"It's a case of shaking the tree and seeing what happens," she said.
A Programme Manager with in depth knowledge of police organisations is required for this role based in Central London. The post holder will be ...
Clients range from household names such as Dell and Anadin, to leading business to business firms. As a capable and experienced PHP Web Developer ...
This position will support the Business Development and Marketing Manager in targeting and developing customer interest in one or more key target ...
Agenda Setters 2008
Welcome to the ninth annual Agenda Setters poll – silicon.com's list of the top 50 most influential individuals in the technology and IT industries, from techies and CIOs to entrepreneurs and business leaders. Find out more in our latest special report.
Stories from the web...
Copyright © 2008 CBS Interactive Limited. All rights reserved. Top of page
Rob Bamforth Seeking memorable mobile apps Quocirca's Straight Talking: Why are there so few?
Stewart Baines How much SEO is too much? Net Effect: Plus 10 tips on boosting your site's profile