If you’re watching this video, congratulations! You are probably not one of the few hundred thousand people whose Internet was shut down by the FBI for being infected by the DNS Changer malware.
After busting an Estonian crime ring last November, the FBI discovered criminals had taken over a bunch of servers that were redirecting users to rogue websites via a Trojan malware that changed a computer’s DNS settings. The rogue websites would unleash pop up ads and other annoyances on the users—but may not have been obvious to everyone. The good news: The FBI took over and cleaned them up. The bad news: The Bureau is more interested in fighting crime than running DNS servers, so they shut them down as of this morning.
Even if you’re in the clear, you might still get a frantic phone call from your parents. And if you’re watching this on your phone because your computer’s Internet isn’t working … it might be time for a visit to the digital mechanic.
Video by Jim Festante.
