CRAY, NY — A man in central New York has been accused of being part of a company that paid to orchestrate a large-scale international cyberattack, according to federal prosecutors.
Six people have been charged with more than one million attacks or attempted attacks against individuals, educational institutions, government agencies and gaming platforms, according to prosecutors.
Joshua Laing, 32, of Cray has been charged with assisting in breaking into a computer, prosecutors said. He was indicted in federal court in Alaska.
The arrests are part of Operation PowerOff, a global effort to dismantle criminal denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. According to prosecutors, DDoS attacks bombard targets with information and make them inaccessible to the internet. These companies are often called booter services.
Laing’s company, TrueSecurityServices.io, allowed people to pay for DDoS attacks, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.
Prosecutors said the FBI was cooperating with other agencies, including those in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
The US Department of Justice also announced that it has seized 48 Internet domains linked to DDoS attacks.
In Central New York, Laing was indicted in 2008 for sex crimes, attempted robbery, and burglary for stealing guns and ammunition, according to Syracuse.com | Post-Standard archive. He served his one year in prison.
Others indicted in federal lawsuits this month include:
- John M. Dobbs, 32, lives in Honolulu, Hawaii. Between 2009 and November 2022, he was charged with abetting the violation of computer fraud and abuse related to the alleged operation of his service by his booter named IPStressor.com, also known as IPS. indicted in Alaska.
- Jeremiah Sam Evans Miller, aka “John the Dev,” age 23, from San Antonio, Texas. A booter named RoyalStresser.com (he was formerly known as Supremesecurityteam.com) was indicted in Los Angeles on charges of conspiracy and breach of computer fraud and abuse related to the operation of his service.
- Angel Manuel Colon Jr., aka “Anonghost720” and “Anonghost1337”, age 37 from Bellevue, FL. In Los Angeles, a booter named SecurityTeam.io was indicted on charges of conspiracy and breach of computer fraud and abuse related to alleged manipulation of his service.
- Shamar Shattock, 19, from Margate, Florida. Booter, known as Astrostress.com, has been indicted in Los Angeles for allegedly performing his services.
- Cory Anthony Palmer, 22, of Lauderhill, FL. A booter known as Booter.sx has been indicted in Los Angeles for allegedly running his services.
Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime, and public safety.Have a tip, story idea, photo, question, or comment? [email protected].
