RCMP executes search warrants in Webstresser.org investigation

OTTAWA, April 25, 2018 /CNW/ - On April 24, the RCMP's National Division Cybercrime Investigative Team executed a search warrant in Toronto, Ontario, in support of an internationally coordinated investigation into an alleged cybercrime service.

The Canadian investigation began in November 2017 when the RCMP was contacted by the United Kingdom National Crime Agency (UK NCA) and asked to assist with an ongoing multi-national investigation into an online service provided by Webstresser.org, a website that specialized in distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. A DDoS attack is a cyber-attack in which the perpetrator attempts to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily disrupting the services of a host connected to the Internet. DDoS attacks are typically accomplished by flooding the targeted Internet server with excessive requests, which overload the server and prevent some or all legitimate requests from being fulfilled. The UK NCA asked for the RCMP's help gathering evidence after their investigation identified a possible link in Canada.

This case, which was led by the Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit, highlights the value of the international partnerships that are crucial to solving transnational cybercrimes. The National Division Cybercrime Investigative Team was created in 2016 and has successfully conducted several investigations in collaboration with international partners, local law enforcement and federal government agencies.

The RCMP is determined to fight cybercrime in all its forms, wherever it takes place. We are actively pursuing efforts to prevent, detect and deter any illegal activity that threatens Canada's integrity and reputation. The public is encouraged to remain vigilant when using the Internet and to report information on illegal activities to the RCMP. 

SOURCE Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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