DNSChanger Computer Threat Passed?

Much of the online community spent the weekend buzzing over a malware virus called DNSChanger, which was threatening to lock out tens of thousands of people from Internet access as of this morning.

It's unknown at this point just how many people were actually affected; if you're reading this, you're probably not among the victims. But the incident serves as a reminder of how vulnerable many of us are to nasty bugs and so-called "malware."

This particular nasty bug was unleashed approximately five years ago by cybercriminals in Estonia, according to CMIT Solutions. The problem was so concerning that the FBI responded by running a computer intervention. (Click here to read more from the FBI on the DNSChanger malware.)

Getting the message out to millions of Internet users proved harder than expected for the FBI, so the agency elected to keep the servers online a bit longer.

Despite several delays, the FBI pulled the plug Monday.

FBI data estimate as many as 277,000 computers are infected worldwide, according to a Huffington Post report. About 64,000 of those machines are likely in the United States.

More information regarding malicious software removal can be found at the website of the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team: https://www.uscert.gov/reading_room/trojan-recovery.pdf.

NEED HELP?

If you need assistance with computer issues, here are some places to check out in Eagan:

• Cadan Computers
• Geek Squad