Are You Going to Lose Your Internet Monday?

You’ve probably seen the warnings or heard the media chatter over DNSCharger—the latest malware to hit the Web.

DNSCharger is a Trojan horse malware that’s been around for years. It has been used in corporate espionage and state-sponsored attacks for the last decade. Essentially it points an infected computer to malicious, criminally controlled computer servers. Once you’re connected, the bad guys can steal personal information, which can lead to identity theft among other woes.

It’s in the news in a big way this week because infected computers will reportedly be blocked from accessing the Internet on Monday, July 9. The FBI, which is all over this one, is actively spreading information on what it is and how you can stop it:

(Credit: FBI)

Why is it dangerous? The average user won’t realize that he is on the hackers’ site. Internet pages could look exactly like their legitimate counterparts, but while users are on them, their information is being stolen.

The FBI has set up a simple test to determine if your computer is infected or not.  Simply click this link: If the background is green, you’re safe. If it’s red, keep reading.

The site is available in multiple languages, all of which is accessible here.

If you saw a red background on the FBI detect page, buckle up. First, back up all your information on an external hard drive or cloud system. Once your data is safe, download one of these FBI approved  “self help” programs:

• Hitman Pro (32bit and 64bit versions)
• Kaspersky Labs TDSSKiller 
• McAfee Stinger  
• Microsoft Windows Defender Offline
• Microsoft Safety Scanner 
• Norton Power Eraser
• Trend Micro Housecall 
• MacScan 
• Avira’s DNS Repair-Tool   

After the program has run and deleted the malware, restart your computer and visit this link again to check for that green background. If you’re still infected, move down the list and choose another program. If all else fails, call your ISP. Some providers, such as Comcast, are ahead of the curve on this one.

As it stood Thursday, about 277,000 computer users were affected worldwide including 64,000 Americans and 25,000 Canadians.