Computer Virus July 9: What To Do If You Are Affected by DNS Changer

On Monday July 9, the FBI is taking down a backup safety net to protect them from a computer virus and more 250,000 people may be affected by this.

The back-up system is being shut down as of 12:01 a.m. ET on Monday.

The shutdown of the DNS servers on July 9, is being described as the "Internet Doomsday" according to several reports. It has already affected about 245,000 computers worldwide this week and only 45,355 computers in the United States, according to Reuters.

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USA Today shared a few tips on what to do if you are affected:

Make sure you have updated, working anti-virus protection to protect your computer in the event it becomes affected. Learn how to use the scanning and cleanup tools that come with the top consumer anti-virus products. Computer viruses are designed to resist detection and cleanup. 

If your internet service gets disconnected, you will have to contact your Internet service provider for help immediately. Get instructions on how to delete the virus, or criminals will continue to control your machine through the malware. And Internet service providers have plans to help stay on the line and guide you through the process.

The FBI recommends that you visit an FBI-approved website such as The DNS Changer Working Group. The site provides links to services that will run a check on your PC, as well as guidelines to manually carry out a deeper malware inspection.

The DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG) was created to help fix problems caused by viruses created by hackers the FBI discovered last November, Rove Digital. The DCWG helps monitor new DNS servers under court order, in the former Rove Digital space.

According to their website, the DCWG is a group of  experts, and includes members from organizations such as Georgia Tech, Internet Systems Consortium, Mandiant, National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance, Trend Micro, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

DNSChanger Malware: Check If Your Computer is Infected for Monday; Mac Users Safe