From Infosecurity Magazine – Following what the Greater Manchester police described as their largest ever cybercrime investigation, two polish men were arrested at a Heathrow hotel on suspicion of blackmailing a Manchester-based internet company with threats of a DDoS attack.
Details are sparse, but it would appear that the criminals first demonstrated their capability with a DDoS attack and then threatened to repeat the process unless paid off. It would seem that rather than quietly pay up, the unnamed multimillion pound company reported the matter to the police.
“This investigation centers on an allegation that the online company was blackmailed. As part of this blackmail attempt, one of the company’s websites was made temporarily unavailable by the offenders,” explained detective inspector Chris Mossop of the Greater Manchester police (GMP).
“Denial of service attacks have become increasingly common offenses in recent years and can have a devastating effect on the victim’s online business or presence,” he said.
The suspects were arrested at a hotel at Heathrow airport last Wednesday following an investigation that involved GMP, the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), and law enforcement agencies in Poland and the US.
