- Machines infected with virus being 'kept alive' by FBI
- Operation costing so much FBI will 'pull plug' on 9 July
- 350,000 PCs infected, mostly private individuals
- 80,000 victims in U.S., 20,000 in UK
By Rob Waugh
On 9 July this year, the internet will suddenly 'turn off' for thousands of users around the world.
Around 350,000 PC users have machines infected with an invisible, undetectable 'Trojan' computer virus called DNSChanger, which sends users of the Web to unintended - and sometimes illegal - sites.
When the FBI detected the infection they set up 'surrogate' servers to keep the infected PCs working - but it's costing so much that they intend to 'pull the plug' on 9 July.Â
Around 350,000 PC users have machines infected with an invisible, undetectable 'Trojan' computer virus called DNSChanger, which sends users of the Web to unintended - and sometimes illegal - sites
Infected: The Trojan 'DNSChanger' could cause millions - including Fortune 500 companies - to lose their Internet if the FBI shuts down surrogate servers
Court order: The FBI has been ordered to retire their surrogate servers by March 8
'If we just pulled the plug on their criminal infrastructure, the victims were going to be without internet service,' said Tom Grasso, an FBI agent talking to Fox News.
According to RT Network, servers function by translating traditional website URLs to their ‘numeric counterpart.’
But computers with the Trojan, which originally emerged in Estonia, will send users to fraudulent websites.
And, if the FBI shuts off their emergency servers, millions of people could potentially be without Internet.
The temporary servers set up by the FBI were created to allow companies to remove the worm from their infected servers; those affected had 120 days to get rid of the malware.
After FBI warnings, the number of PCs infected with the Trojan has plunged - and most are in the hands of private individuals, not companies.
Of the 350,000 infected machines worldwide, 85,000 are in the U.S and 20,000 are in the UK.
Ticking clock: The FBI's surrogate servers can run until March 8, at which point they will either have to be shut down or run by a court-ordered extension
The malware is especially effective, Gizmodo reports, because it blocks infected users from visiting secure sites that could help them rid of the worm.
Law enforcement officials and the computer industry have been working together in a coalition to fight the malware.
The group, called the DNSChanger Working Group, will examine possibilities to fixing the problem.
If no solution is reached, millions of people could be without the Internet, RT reports.
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Hahaha! The FBI doesn't have the ability to just 'turn off' the internet for certain people! That's not how the internet works! They would need to convince the internet providers to turn it off for each person. - Adz, London, 25/4/2012 14:51
And precisely where does the article say that the FBI is going to turn off the entire internet.
And for the record, the US could concievably "turn off the internet" by turning off the international DNS and IP Addressing system which they do own and control. While you would still have a connection to your ISP, and your ISP would have connection to servers located within your own country, you wouldn't be able to reach anything outside of your country.
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Yes I really believe that the American FBI is spending their money keeping 20000 UK domestic computers running without even informing us.....
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Oh dear I've been deleted (must be near the truth), never mind here we are again. . Think about it (I figured it out first instance, and thought others would, but they didn't). A couple of week ago the Government wanted the ISPs to send everyone's E Mails, Browsing History etc to be checked (to catch criminals etc). All of a sudden it was dropped (because of the outcry about snooping). Suddenly some kid has been viewing what he shouldn't have (so it might be an idea to keep that part of the net off - unless people sign separate for it). Next it will be the kids are still bypassing it (so we'll have to stop that part fully). Slowly we'll have much less for ourselves, but it will be easier for them to spy on us. It isn't about what kids are viewing it's more about spying on what we are doing. Some will say I'm seeing a conspiracy where there isn't one, but use a bit of sense (is it so far fetched?).
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machines infected with an invisible, UNDETECTABLE 'Trojan' computer virus called DNSChanger, .... When the FBI DETECTED the infection????? . Is this Trojan detectable or undetectable you cant have it both ways it either is or it is not.
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And, if the FBI shuts off their emergency servers, millions of people could potentially be without Internet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How do 350,000 pcs become millions in a few lines? This is an appallingly badly written article and written by someone who has never seen a computer let alone used one.
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Total non story
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9 July must be when the US launches their attack on Iran.
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Anyone who understands how the DNS system works will find numerous holes in this article.
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Using a spreadsheet, list all the URL's you like and record their IP address in the next cell. If the USA switches off the internet, enter the IP address of the site you want to visit in your browser's address bar....Yeah. Good luck with that. No need to use a spreadsheet though: look up hosts table on the internet. And I hope you don't get the addresses using the fake DNS server that you didn't know you have been directed to.
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Stuart, Norwich, 25/4/2012 13:51
Linux outdoes windows every time. It's free, virus-proof and user-friendly
Only if you know something about installing it, and I hope you're not stupid enough to think that Linux is virus free! I seem to recall Apple users said the same a short time ago. To add to this a Linux shell will not run a lot of Windows programs.
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