Computers infected with DNSChanger will lose Internet access on July 9, 2012

DNSChanger is a nasty piece of malware that – according to the FBI – still infects more than four million computers worldwide.

When the FBI arrested the people responsible for creating and controlling DNSChanger, they realized that taking down the servers controlling the malware would interrupt Internet access for computers still infected. So they left the DNSChanger servers up, but disabled the malware’s ability to spread further. They issued warnings to the general public, stating that they intended to shut down the DNSChanger servers on July 9, 2012. That day is approaching.

To avoid having your computer essentially cut off from the Internet on Monday, you should use one of the many available DNSChanger detection sites to determine whether your computer is infected. In the unlikely event that your computer is found to be infected, instructions and tools for removal of DNSChanger are available.

About jrivett

Jeff Rivett has worked with and written about computers since the early 1980s. His first computer was an Apple II+, built by his father and heavily customized. Jeff's writing appeared in Computist Magazine in the 1980s, and he created and sold a game utility (Ultimaker 2, reviewed in the December 1983 Washington Apple Pi Journal) to international markets during the same period. Proceeds from writing, software sales, and contract programming gigs paid his way through university, earning him a Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree at UWO. Jeff went on to work as a programmer, sysadmin, and manager in various industries. There's more on the About page, and on the Jeff Rivett Consulting site.

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