Suspects arrested under suspicion of launching denial of service attacks on newspapers, schools, retailers and games companies using Lizard Stresser

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Six teenagers have been released on bail on suspicion of using hacking group Lizard Squad’s cyberattack tool to target websites and services.

The six suspects are accused of launching cyber attacks at a national newspaper, a school, gaming companies and a number of online retailers

The teenagers, males aged between 15 and 18, were held by UK police during an operation targeting alleged users of Lizard Stresser, a tool that bombards websites and services with bogus traffic, in what’s called a denial of service (ddos) attack, stopping real visitors from reaching the site.

Ddos attacks have been used to cause both financial and reputational damage to businesses and services from Sony to government websites. The attacks can last from hours to days, and typically use computers or internet routers infected with viruses to make innocent users unwitting parties to the attack.

The Lizard Stresser tool was used effectively by Lizard Squad during cyber attacks on Microsoft’s Xbox Live and Sony’s PlayStation Network online gaming services in December last year.

The Lizard Stresser tool is seen as a “ddos for hire” facility, for which hackers can pay and aim it at targets of their choosing. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the six people arrested are suspected of maliciously using Lizard Stresser, paying for it using Bitcoin in an attempt to remain anonymous.

None of the six males arrested are accused of being members of Lizard Squad.

Operation ‘Vivarium’

Tony Adams, senior operations manager at the NCA’s national cybercrime unit, said: “By paying a comparatively small fee, tools like Lizard Stresser can cripple businesses financially and deprive people of access to important information and public services.”

The arrests were made as part of an operation codenamed Vivarium, coordinated by the NCA and involving officers from several police forces.

Those arrested this week were: an 18-year-old from Huddersfield; an 18-year-old from Manchester; a 16-year-old from Northampton; and a 15-year-old from Stockport. Two other suspects, both 17, were arrested earlier this year, one from Cardiff and another from Northolt, north-west London.

All six have been bailed, while a further two 18-year-olds – one from Manchester and one from Milton Keynes – were interviewed under caution.

As part of the same operation officers are visiting around 50 addresses linked to individuals who are registered on the Lizard Stresser website, to warn them that DDoS attacks are illegal, can cause financial damage and lead to “severe restrictions on their freedom”.

Adams added: “One of our key priorities is to engage with those on the fringes of cyber criminality, to help them understand the consequences of cyber crime and how they can channel their abilities into productive and lucrative legitimate careers.”

A member of Lizard Squad was arrested in Twickenham in December for their involvement in cyber attacks, while a further member was arrested in May for pranking armed police. However, the hacking group’s tool remains available, despite its site being hacked revealing customers’ details.

• What will happen to the Lizard Squad hackers?



