Scott Raul Esparza, a US resident, has been sentenced to 9 months in federal prison for creating and managing the Astrostress service, which allowed users to launch powerful Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks. In addition to the prison term, Esparza has also been assigned a 2-year conditional term, including full computer monitoring after serving his sentence. The charges were brought forward in February, and Esparza pleaded guilty in March.
The FBI investigated the case as part of the Poweroff operation, an international initiative to combat DDOS attacks for hire (DDOS-FOR-HIRE).
Between 2019 and September 2022, 24-year-old Esparza, along with 19-year-old Shamar Shattok, operated the Astrostress DDOS service. The website offered customers various subscription levels based on the quantity and power of attacks, charging corresponding fees. Users from around the world created accounts and utilized the service to launch attacks on “tens of thousands” of computers.
Esparza was responsible for acquiring servers for the attacks and maintaining their functionality. He also assisted in promoting the service, hiring customer support staff, and using other people’s computers to bolster attacks unlawfully. Esparza personally conducted thousands of attacks using Astrostress.
Between September 2021 and September 2022, Astrostress clients targeted tens of thousands of secure computers, rendering them inaccessible. Following the FBI’s website closure in September 2022, Esparza left Shattok a voicemail instructing him to “clear” all accounts on social networks to erase any connections to the service. Shattok, who pleaded guilty in March 2023 to conspiracy charges, could face up to 5 years in prison at the upcoming court hearing.