FBI's cutting off internet to DNS Changer infected users on July 9

In 2007, a Trojan called DNS Changer made the rounds, infecting users' PCs and Macs alike. which would redirect users to websites that were made by hackers. At these websites, cybercriminals sold $14 million in advertisements and the Trojan prevented users from installing and/or updating antivirus programs, leaving them vulnerable to malicious attacks. Last November, the FBI took down six Estonian nationals who were allegedly running the scam and seized the servers to which infected users would be redirected to. The FBI had put up surrogate servers in place so users who were affected by the Trojan could still access the internet, however, only temporarily. Now, according to PC World, infected users have till the 9th of July to disinfect their computers, or they will be turned off from the internet.

Is your PC affected?

The FBI wants to shut down those temporary servers which will cut off infected users from the internet because they will be attempting access through servers that do not exist. The Bureau had originally planned to shut down the servers back in March, however, a federal judge ordered the FBI to give affected users, businesses and governments more time to disinfect their computers. As of February this year, half of all Fortune 500 companies were infected with DNS Changer, that's how prolific the Trojan is. Furthermore, 3,50,000 more devices are estimated to have been infected by DNS Changer.

If users do not disinfect their devices from DNS Changer by July, not only will they get cut off from the internet, they will also, going forward, only be able to install anti-virus programs onto their computers via discs or USB sticks. If you think your computer might be affected, you can check at the DNS Changer check up site. This site checks the resolution of your PC but does not install any new software on to it. There is also a list of anti-virus software that the DNS Changer Working Group has put together to help you rid your computer of the Trojan. If you have been affected by the DNS Changer trojan, let us know in the comments section below and which program you used to get rid of the infection.

                                                                                                                                                           (courtesy:tech2.com)