DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – On Nov. 8 of last year, the FBI foiled the cyber criminals involved in the so-called Operation Ghost Click, which baited computer users into downloading malicious software onto their machines.
Because of that, more than half a million users could be knocked off the Internet for good on July 9.
“Dec. 21, as we know this year on the Mayan calendar, the world is supposed to end, but for a lot of Internet users, July 9 may be that day,” said High Tech Texan Michael Garfield. “That’s the day over half a million computer users may have zero Internet access.”
Garfield says users who visited a specific website had the malware downloaded onto their computer without their knowledge. Operation Ghost Click operated under the company name Rove Digital.
Quoting from a website designed to help users launch a preemptive strike against the malware:
“The botnet operated by Rove Digital altered user DNS settings, pointing victims to malicious DNS in data centers in Estonia, New York, and Chicago. The malicious DNS servers would give fake, malicious answers, altering user searches, and promoting fake and dangerous products. Because every web search starts with DNS, the malware showed users an altered version of the Internet.”
Head to this website to learn whether your computer was infected with the malware and, if so, how to clean it before July 9.
Article source: http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/04/23/fbi-warns-of-malware-designed-to-permanently-lose-internet-access/
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