Unfortunately, it’s a possibility. Your connection will seem fine, but you may be unable to open your favorite websites. Why? Because of a computer virus that had circulated from 2007 until last Fall according to some USENET newsgroups. You may not even realize that your computer is infected.
The virus is known as the DNSChanger and it instructed infected computers to visit certain websites to click on ads, thus generating advertising money for the people behind the virus. Authorities claim the criminals generated about $14 million in revenue through the scheme.
Infected computers were connected to DNS servers that were controlled by the criminals, but rather than turn off the servers when the FBI apprehended those responsible, they found that doing so would have left those infected with the virus without Internet service. They instead hired a company that connected installed new servers to replace the old ones so infected computers would not be without Internet service.
Some service providers have attempted to notify their customers that could be affected and have implemented plans to handle any complaints issued Monday of customers who cannot access the Internet. Facebook and Google have even stepped up to help notify users who may be infected by displaying a message if a user whose computer may be affected were to access their site.
After months of attempting to notify potentially infected users, the new servers set up to keep Internet access intact for affected users will be shut off at 12:01 AM ET on Monday, July 9. If you would like to check if your computer is affected by the virus, visit http://www.dcwg.org, a website setup by the company the FBI hired to install the new servers to replace the ones used by the criminals.
Checking your computer via the website provided above and reading more about the virus can help you determine if you could be affected. Usenet newsgroups dedicated to the discussion of computers and technology is a good resource for intelligent discussion of the problem and could help you better understand the issue as well.
