Polish Authorities Dismantle Major DDoS-for-Hire Network in International Crackdown

A significant operation involving Polish law enforcement and international cybersecurity forces has led to the arrest of four individuals accused of operating six illicit DDoS-for-hire platforms. These platforms, offered under names such as Cfxapi, Cfxsecurity, Neostress, Jetstress, Quickdown, and Zapcut, were responsible for thousands of attacks across the globe between 2022 and 2025.

This takedown marks a decisive step in the global fight against the commercialized DDoS industry, which has evolved into a serious cyber threat affecting institutions from schools to government agencies.

The Arrest and Its Impact: A Summary

Polish law enforcement arrested four individuals tied to six illegal stresser/booter services.
The platforms operated under the names Cfxapi, Cfxsecurity, Neostress, Jetstress, Quickdown, and Zapcut.
These services were used globally for as little as €10 per attack.

The infrastructure enabled thousands of DDoS attacks on:

Educational institutions

Government services

Businesses

Gaming platforms

These attacks aimed to overwhelm websites and servers, causing downtime and financial damage.
Europol coordinated the operation with support from Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.S.
Dutch authorities deployed decoy booter sites to trap users and collect intelligence.
The U.S. seized nine domain names used in the operations.
Germany provided intelligence and arrested suspects in related cases.
This was part of Operation PowerOFF, an international initiative targeting DDoS-for-hire services since 2018.
In December 2024, 27 major booter services, including zdstresser.net and starkstresser.net, were disrupted under the same operation.
In November 2024, German police arrested two suspects involved in Dstat.cc, a similar platform.
The German investigation also exposed a parallel drug trafficking operation involving synthetic substances sold via “Flight RCS.”
Seven properties were searched during the crackdown, and multiple charges are pending in both Poland and Germany.

The dismantling of these six DDoS-for-hire services highlights how widely distributed denial-of-service attacks have become a commercialized cybercrime model, often sold through underground forums and the dark web.

What Undercode Say:

The recent arrests in Poland are not just symbolic victories—they are tangible disruptions to an underground industry that has morphed into a billion-dollar threat ecosystem. These services, once cloaked in the pretense of “network stress testing,” are now exposed for what they really are: weaponized platforms of cyber extortion and disruption.

Here’s what stands out:

Decentralization of Cybercrime: The accessibility of these services for as little as €10 demonstrates how DDoS attacks have become democratized. No deep hacking knowledge is required anymore. Anyone with a few euros and an internet connection can attack a public or private entity.

Professionalization of Criminal Infrastructure: The seized services weren’t mere hobbyist operations. They were highly organized, commercialized, and supported by scalable infrastructure, operating much like legitimate SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) companies.

Cross-Border Collaboration Is Working: Operation PowerOFF continues to prove effective, thanks to real-time intelligence sharing and coordinated arrests across jurisdictions. The use of honeypot-style booter sites by Dutch authorities was especially clever, highlighting a proactive rather than reactive enforcement strategy.

Cybercrime’s Expanding Vectors: The connection between DDoS-for-hire and drug trafficking in the German cases shows the blurring lines between cyber and traditional crime. Criminals are merging cyber infrastructure with real-world black markets, creating hybrid operations that are harder to track and dismantle.

Platform Takedowns as Psychological Warfare: Beyond the technical impact, removing these platforms sends a strong psychological message to users and aspiring cybercriminals. This makes entry into the cybercrime world appear riskier and more vulnerable to law enforcement infiltration.

The Resilience of DDoS Economies: Despite repeated takedowns, new platforms continuously emerge. This underscores the resilience and profitability of the market. For every six platforms taken down, several more might be launching in the background.

Future of Stresser Services: We might see a shift toward more decentralized or peer-to-peer based DDoS rental models, which would make takedowns more difficult. The current centralized platforms, while efficient, are easier to target.

Monetization Through Anonymity: Payments for these services often occur through cryptocurrency, masking identities and complicating enforcement. Authorities will need tighter collaboration with crypto platforms and KYC-enforced exchanges to cut off the money supply.

In short, the DDoS-for-hire ecosystem is evolving, adaptive, and well-funded. While this operation is a success, the battle is far from over.

Fact Checker Results:

✅ The six platforms (Cfxapi, Cfxsecurity, Neostress, Jetstress, Quickdown, and Zapcut) were active between 2022–2025 and are now confirmed seized.
✅ Arrests were made in Poland, with coordinated international support, especially from the Netherlands, Germany, and the U.S.
✅ Operation PowerOFF is a legitimate ongoing initiative, first launched in 2018, aimed at dismantling booter services.

Prediction:

We are likely to witness more sophisticated, AI-assisted DDoS platforms emerge in underground markets within the next 12–18 months. As law enforcement continues cracking down on traditional infrastructure, cybercriminals will evolve toward more ephemeral, decentralized systems that operate through dynamic hosting and encrypted channels. Additionally, DDoS-as-a-Service will increasingly bundle with ransom models, threatening downtime unless a cryptocurrency payment is made. Law enforcement must shift from platform takedowns to predictive disruption strategies, integrating cyber threat intelligence, AI, and blockchain analytics.