Jay Echouafni of Massachusetts is reportedly one of the first suspects involved in the use of DDoS to cripple competing websites, the Justice Department said.
Echouafni is accused of masterminding attacks on three online businesses to gain stronger clout among customers for his satellite and television retail outfit, Orbit Communication Corp. Echouafni allegedly hired hackers through a friend, Paul Ashley, to launch the DDoS attacks, a form of cyber terrorism that has been used lately to cripple large corporations like Microsoft, Cisco, and gaming sites.
A DDoS attacks is a method of waging a large-scale attack on a particular website by recruiting "zombie" computers and overloading the website's host or service provider.
The hackers-for-hire were reportedly a British citizen and two Americans. They were each paid $1,000.
Investigators nicknamed the case "Operation Cyberslam."
"This is an example of a growing trend: that is, denial of service attacks being used for either extortionate reasons, or to disable or impair the competition," said Frank Harrill, an FBI supervisory special agent. "It's a growing problem and one that we take very seriously, and one that we think has a very destructive impact and potential."
Echouafni faces charges related to aiding and abetting a computer attack, authorities said. Damages to the three companies are estimated at around $2 million.
Echouafni was released on bail earlier but he has not been seen in court since winning a motion to travel with his family within the U.S.
Authorities suspect he might have fled the country.
Ashley, an Ohio resident and employee of CIT/FooNet, is also named in a separate criminal investigation. According to reports, Ashley's office was raided and police traced the connection between the two men.
The case is part of a larger cyber crackdown by the Justice Department, which has so far rendered 150 federal criminal cases.
