This Monday (July 9th) is the day that devices infected with a piece of malware, known as a DNSChanger, could lose Internet accessibility worldwide, according to the FBI. The number of potentially infected devices has been reported at being approximately 300K , down from the initial estimate of 4 million. To be clear, any device that utilizes DNS, which transforms Internet URL browser requests into reachable IP addresses, can be affected by this malware in some shape or form. This includes, but not limited to: PCs, Mac computers, and even iPads, Kindles, and Internet capable TVs if you’re router is affected.
Chances are you’re not infected with this specific malware, but we’re here to provide you with information to help you make sure that you’re not! For the full FBI document on the malware threat, please download the following PDF. We found that this document already provides a very clear method for PC and Mac users for checking the DNS settings on your devices to ensure they’re correct.
Another good way to check for infection is via a website DNS check. As stated on the website, this method is not foolproof, but it can provide another confirmation that your DNS settings are correct, in addition to the FBI’s recommended methods.
As always, if you need assistance with checking for or fixing an infection, please give us a call! In most cases we can perform a DNS check remotely in a few minutes, so getting piece of mind is only a phone call away!
– Level Seven Computers staff
