Businesses warned about 'highly sophisticated' cyber attackers

Businesses in Guernsey are being warned about a group of cyber criminals targeting the island's firms.

Guernsey Police say the 'highly sophisticated' criminals were unsuccessful in their attempts but companies that rely on using the internet should make sure they have a good level of cyber security.

During the last 12-18 months the organisation calling itself DD4BC has been targeting various companies - ranging from online casinos to banks - with ‘distributed denial of service’ attacks (DDoS).

The Police say if they were successful, it could bring down vital business services.

What they are doing:

DD4BC has been increasing both the frequency and scope of its DDoS extortion attempts, shifting targets from bitcoin exchanges to online casinos and betting shops and, most recently, to prominent financial institutions across the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The group blackmails companies by demanding bitcoin payments to avoid their central services being subjected to DDoS attacks.

DD4BC emailed an extortion notice to several local firms, followed by an active demonstration of their capabilities.

DD4BC says in the email: ‘Don't worry, it will not be hard and will stop in 1 hour. It's just to prove that we are serious.’

The group asks for 30 bitcoin, with a threat that the price goes up if the company does not pay within 24 hours.