Are You a Victim of DNSChanger Virus?

If you are among those who think they are affected by DNSChanger virus, do not panic. There are measures that you can take so that you can successfully sail through the problem.

Why is there so much fuss about DNSChanger?

The DNSChanger virus has been designed by cyber criminals to redirect users through fraudulent servers for the purpose of accessing private or confidential data. A DNS (Domain Name System) is essentially a free Internet service that converts the domain name into the numeric Internet Protocol (IP). There are chances that you may also unknowingly download this virus from illegitimate sites.

A very interesting thing to note here is that this virus actually surfaced in the year 2007 and since then it has gone on to affect 40 lakh computers worldwide. The DNSChanger Virus is so deadly that once it finds a way into your system, it will paralyze the antivirus software already installed in your computer. Moreover, it will also prevent you from visiting any website and download the best antivirus protection software that you can use to protect yourself from future virus attacks.

How to Identify the DNSChanger Virus?

You can only secure your computer system from DNSChanger Virus only if you are aware about the various signs that you are infected. A large number of experts and cyber security firms have devised very important tools or websites through which you can detect whether your computer has been infected or not in a very hassle free manner. Here are links of the various websites that offer free diagnostic checks against this nasty malware:

Malware Check: dns-ok.us

DNSChanger Working Group: dcwg.org

FBI: forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS

McAfee: mcafee.com/dnscheck

How to Remove DNSChanger Virus?

If it is detected that your system has been affected by the DNSChanger malware, then the very first step that you must take is to take the backup of all the critical files in an external hard drive or a pen drive. After taking the back up, you will be required to reformat your system. However, if in case, you are lucky enough to escape from this virus, then you must ensure that you take more precautions to protect yourself from future attacks. You can certainly avoid this situation by getting excellent antivirus protection and scanning the computer on a regular basis. It will be also best to call out the Internet provider and request them to get your DNSChanged.

So, if you have been lucky enough to not have been affected by DNSChanger Virus, then you must not waste time, make sure you have a best antivirus software installed, scan your computer on a regular basis before this virus spells doom for you.

Get the best anti-virus protection software download from reliable websites and protect your system from malicious programs. There are many websites available on the Internet to download free anti virus software.

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How to Protect Your Computer From The DNSChanger Malware Infection

As of July 9th, 2012, the Internet Systems Consortium will be shutting down the rogue DNS servers utilized by the DNSChanger malware infection. During an FBI sting, agents brought down a hacker ring from Estonia last year under Operation Ghost Click. If your computer is one of the 1 million computers that were infected by the DNSChanger virus, you will lose internet access on July 9th, 2012. The reason you will lose access, is that your computer may be using one of the temporary DNS servers setup by the FBI to retain access to infected computers during the shut down of the surrogate DNS servers used for the hacker ring.

How to Tell Whether DNSChanger Has Infected Your Computer

The FBI has setup a website that will allow you to find out if your computer has been infected with the DNSChanger rootkit. By visiting dns-ok.us you will be able to check and see if your computer has been inected. While the website looks very cheap and almost fake, it is the correct website that was setup by the FBI. If you live outside of the US, you will need to check for alternative websites to check for an infection.

If you computer is infected by the DNSChanger virus, you will unfortunately lose internet access until you have had the malware removed from your computer.

What Do I Do if My Computer is Infected by DNSChanger

Once you've figured out that your computer has been infected by the DNSChanger virus, it's time to start figuring out how you'll get the rootkit removed from your computer. The first thing that you'll need to do is to create a backup of all of your critical files including your personal files, pictures, music and movies. After you've completed this, your safest bet is to completely format your computer's hard drive and perform a complete clean installation of your operating system.

If you would prefer to avoid reformatting your computer, there are tools that can help you remove the rootkit malware and may be able to restore your computer to it's previous state. There are programs that have been released specifically designed to remove the DNSChanger rootkit from your computer. Simply Google DNSChanger or check out Kapersky Lab's TDSSKiller.

If the infected computer is on a network in your home or office, you will need to manually check every computer on the network to ensure that no other computers were infected. You will also want to check your router to ensure that it wasn't infected by the rootkit as well.

Once all of the above checks have been done and you feel you have removed the malware from your computer, recheck everything to ensure that your computer is no longer infected and you should be ready to go on Monday when the servers are shut down. By following the steps listed above you will be able to prevent your computer from losing internet access.

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