The DNSChanger thread

[White & Nerdy]

I recently read that, on March 8, all computers infected with DNSChanger will be denied access to the internet. The FBI set up a page where people can check if they're infected.

Is there another way to check? I heard it blocks access to security sites and anti-virus programs, so would that mean if I can use an online virus scanner or download/run an antivirus program I don't have it?

If I do turn out to have it come March 8, what's the fix and how long does it take?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, but I don't even know where to start with this.

 

[acascianelli]

They won't be denied access to the internet, they just won't be able to resolve any hostnames.

Running your basic antivirus and antimalware programs should detect any traces of it. Odds are, if you are infected, you would know it immediately because of annoying web redirects, and stupid fake antivirus popups.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Oh, so it's more obvious like that.

I've had so called "rogueware" before, and I have no traces of that now. Neither have I been redirected around the internet, though I thought the sites you redirected to looked identical to the honest ones...

 

[acascianelli]

From my experience dealing with ZLob and DNSChanger derivatives is they redirect you to stupid advertising websites.

 

[Seismica]

We had one on our old computer at home. It worked by re-directing every search link in google. It somehow affected every computer on the network and kept re-installing it when we removed it, so we got a different router with better security on it and then removed it from all the computers at the same time.

If your computer is infected, you should know as they target commonly used sites from the user's end.