Community Corner

Countdown to Internet Doomsday: Will Your Computer Survive DNSChanger Virus?

Come July 9, if you're reading this, then you're not one of the approximately 277,000 computers worldwide on track to lose Internet unless a fix is applied.

 

Without a fix that is being put out by the FBI, it is possible that hundreds of thousands of computer users infected by the DNSChanger computer virus could lose access to the Internet on July 9.

The Huffington Post reported in April that the problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers.

Find out what's happening in Woodbury-Middleburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The FBI responded with a safety net using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions.

The problem arises during the process of shutting down the computer. Once the shutdown is complete, computers infected by DNSChanger could lose access to the Internet. D-day is set for July 9.

Find out what's happening in Woodbury-Middleburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Interested in Middlebury and Woodbury's news and events? Sign up for the free Woodbury-Middlebury Patch daily newsletter, "like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

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 still don’t know whether or not their computers have been affected.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here