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Are You a Victim?
The FBI has identified a group of international hackers running an online advertising scam which has placed a malware virus on thousands of computers. The Malware allows the hackers to take control of infected computers around the world, the purpose is to disrupt the users Internet connection. The FBI has set up a safety net over the past months using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions for for anyone who has been infected.
FoxNews states that most of the people don’t even know their computer is infected:
“Most victims don’t even know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.”
To Read more about the DNS Changer Malware click Here
When did this Happen?
According to the FBI (link), after July 9, 2012 thousands of computer users will lose their Internet connections as a result of a malware virus, that may be on their computers. The Malware in question is referred to as the “DNS Changer Malware”. According to the DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG.org), this bug works by:
“pointing victims to malicious DNS in data centers in Estonia, New York, and Chicago. The malicious DNS servers would give fake, malicious answers, altering user searches, and promoting fake and dangerous products. Because every web search starts with DNS, the malware showed users an altered version of the Internet.”
How Do I Fix This Issue?
The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner, DCWG, that will inform them whether they’re infected and explain how to fix the problem. The DCWG has an app on its site that you can run that will check for the DNS Changer Malware on your computer.
How does this Benefit the Thieves?
According to the FBI, the hackers earned profits from advertisements that appeared on websites that victims were tricked into visiting. The scam netted the hackers at least $14 million, according to the FBI. It also made thousands of computers reliant on the rogue servers for their Internet browsing.
What is a DNS?
DNS, short for Domain Name System, is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities.
A Domain Name Service translates queries for domain names (which are easier to understand and utilize when accessing the Internet) into IP addresses for the purpose of locating computer services and devices worldwide.
An often-used analogy to explain the Domain Name System is that it serves as the phone book for the Internet by translating human-friendly computer hostnames into IP addresses. For example, the domain name www.example.com translates to the addresses 192.0.43.10 (IPv4) and 2620:0:2d0:200::10 (IPv6). Source: Wikipedia
Related Reading:
- DNSChanger: FBI Warns Infected Computers Will Lose Web, Email Access in July
- Hundreds of thousands may lose Internet in July
- What is the DNS Changer Malware?
- TimeTechland articles on FBI cyber crime activities
- Check Your Domain Name Server Address
- Download a PDF with the List of the Servers and More Instructions
Image Credit: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/results.aspx?ex=2&qu=virus#ai:MC900056377|mt:0|
