DD4BC: A hacker group that specializes in extorting Bitcoin using DDoS

Since September last year, a hacker group called DD4BC has been exposed for its extortion activities, launching a series of DDoS attacks against its targets and demanding ransom in Bitcoin in exchange for stopping the attacks. There are signs that the group's or extortion group's attacks have intensified recently, with DD4BC launching a total of 141 DDoS attacks last year.

Akamai recently tracked and analyzed the activities of DD4BC in recent months through its Prolexic Engineering Security and Response Team. Its attack behavior has greatly increased in recent months, including many Akamai customers who have suffered from its extortion and blackmail. These customers are mostly concentrated in financial institutions, which have more opportunities to access Bitcoin transactions than other industries. Although each attack is mostly small-scale, large-scale DDoS attacks also exist, with the largest attack data traffic reaching 56Gbps and the average traffic being around 13.34Gbps.

The general pattern of the attack is to send an anonymous ransom email asking for Bitcoin. The number of Bitcoins required is around 25-100, with a value of $6000-$24000. If the payment requirement is not met, the organization will launch a series of DDoS attacks, paralyzing its website network and promoting it through social media, affecting its company image or reputation.