Will I see you tomorrow?
Not if you are one of the 245,000 computers said to be still infected with the so-called Alureon virus. I’d think of it as just another empty warning except the FBI is sending out the warning.
The virus originally infected millions of computers worldwide as part of a hacker scam that wound up netting the crooks almost $15 million in fraud advertising revenue. You can read all the details on Yahoo News or even better, from the FBI themselves.
My laymen explanation is that crooks hacked our computers and a lot of us didn’t know. They funneled our internet thru their own profitable portals. When they got busted the FBI couldn’t shut down their sneaky servers because it would shut a bunch of us down with no warning. They set up temporary servers while they warned us. Around 69,000 have not heeded that warning.
The fix is simple. First check your computer by visiting https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS. Then figure out your IP address by visiting http://www.whatismyip.com/. Enter your IP address in the Check Your DNS field (see photo) If you are cleared, you’re all good. If you are infected it will tell you and you can fix it at http://www.dcwg.org/cleanup.html.
I’m filling in the original sloppy looking links rather than my usual neat links so that you can see exactly where you’re being directed. I checked my laptop and I’m all good. Now I have to get the rest of the family to check theirs.
I’m curious as to how many readers here were infected. Do you think it’s another Y2K panic or is it a genuine concern? Leave a comment and let me know…
Other Links:
• FBI: https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS
• DNS Changer Working Group: http://www.dcwg.org/
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/notes/facebook-security/notifying-dnschanger-victims/10150833689760766
