Without a fix that is being put out by the FBI, it is possible that hundreds of thousands of computer users infected by the DNS Changer computer virus could lose access to the Internet on Monday, July 9.
The Huffington Post reported in April that the problem began when international hackers — aka "Operation Ghost Click" — ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers.
The FBI has set up a website that will check to see if a user's computer is using "rogue DNS". There is also a document on the site that explains how to fix the problem. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has sent out an advisory to county residents with Internet trouble to check the site.
The problem arises during the process of shutting down the computer. Once the shutdown is complete, computers infected by DNS Changer could lose access to the internet. D-day is set for July 9.
According to CBS News, although down from the number reported in April, some 277,000 computers worldwide—64,000 of them in the United States—could still be infected.
The FBI is still urging users to visit www.dcwg.org, a website run by its security partner, to find out whether their computer is infected and how to fix the problem.
After July 9, any computers still infected will not be able to access the Internet. Many people don’t know whether or not their computers have been affected.
Have you been you a victim of this virus? Got any tips to avoid computer viruses? Let us know in the comments below.
