Has Verizon provided any info as to how to deal with this pending problem?
For information on the recent DNS Changer Malware, please see below.
Important Disclaimer About this Web Site: The information posted on this website is provided as a courtesy to Verizon subscribers to assist them in finding resources to address computer viruses and malware infections on their computers. This link contains information Verizon has obtained from public and other sources. Verizon has not tested or validated the information presented on this page, and it is provided as-is, without any warranty. If you need assistance in dealing with a particular issue with your computer, you may wish to consult a computer professional. Verizon does offer premium technical support services for a fee that can assist you with determining whether your computer or router is infected and with cleaning it if it is. You are not required to use our service and comparable professional services are available from other suppliers. Information on Verizon Premium Technical Support services is available at: http://surround.verizon.com/Shop/ExpertCare/PremiumTechSupport.aspx
We strongly recommend that you take the necessary steps to remove this virus from your computer as soon as possible; failure to do so will affect your ability to access the Internet in the future.
Background on DNS Changer Malware
The FBI has posted general information on this particular DNS Changer Malware at the following location: http://www.fbi.gov/DNS-malware.pdf
The FBI document contains information on this malware, how it operates and how to go about determining if your computer is infected.
The government has currently implemented certain technical measures that enable infected devices to still surf the Internet, but those measures are expected to be in place on a temporary basis only, and once they expire, infected machines will not be able to surf the Internet unless this malware has been removed from them.
Support for Customers with Verizon Internet Security Suite (VISS)
If you have purchased Verizon's Internet Security Suite (VISS) service, additional support is available at:www.verizon.com/visshelp.
General Support Resources
As you may know, Verizon does not provide free support for software issues on our customers' computers. If you received a notice about DNS Changer Malware and are not a VISS customer, then you should visit the FBI's website at http://www.fbi.gov/DNS-malware.pdf and follow the instructions posted there to determine if one of your computers is infected. That document contains information on the DNS Changer Malware, how it operates and how to go about determining if your computer or other Internet device is infected.
In order to determine whether a particular home router is infected, please review the FBI instructions identified above for computers and then follow the instructions that came with your router regarding how to log in to the router to check its DNS (Domain Name Service) Settings. If you have a Verizon-provided router, the user manual for your device with instructions for logging into your router to check DNS settings can be found at:http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/HighSpeed/Networking/SetUp/Setup.htm
If you use a different router (one not provided by Verizon), you need to obtain that manufacturer's instructions for how to access that router's DNS settings. If one or more of your devices are infected with this malware, you will need to take steps to remove the malware from your machine.
Additional guidance on how to remove malware from your computer can be found at https://www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/trojan-recovery.pdf.
As an alternative, you may wish to consult a computer professional or contact your provider of antivirus software.
More information on staying safe on the Internet and on how to protect your devices is available on Verizon.com at:This web site is being provided as a courtesy by Verizon. We hope you find this information helpful in addressing virus and malware infections.
- http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/FiOSInternet/Troubleshooting/Security/Security.htm
- http://www22.verizon.com/ResidentialHelp/FiOSInternet/General Support/Security/QuestionsOne/85304
I am getting sick of this whole thing. Sounds like another stupid Y2K to me. I have only heard of it a couple of times. I have not seen it anywhere on the news - TV or radio. If this is such an emergency, why isn't it being mentioned everywhere? I also do not trust the sites that claim that they can fix it.
If someone, anyone, can prove without a doubt that this is real, please, I am all ears. If it is real, I would expect to see a response no later than tomorrow.
I will be anxiously waiting to hear back. Probably for nothing.
@LadyMac wrote:I am getting sick of this whole thing. Sounds like another stupid Y2K to me. I have only heard of it a couple of times. I have not seen it anywhere on the news - TV or radio. If this is such an emergency, why isn't it being mentioned everywhere? I also do not trust the sites that claim that they can fix it.
If someone, anyone, can prove without a doubt that this is real, please, I am all ears. If it is real, I would expect to see a response no later than tomorrow.
I will be anxiously waiting to hear back. Probably for nothing.
I've seen it. Working in IT for a huge company and also working on the aside working on computers for people in the area, this malware is years old. Plenty of routers (Linksys, D-Link, etc) that have been left with their default username and password for the administration pages with DNS Servers changed to bad ones, and each time I've seen this the PC was often infected with malware designed to modify DNS servers both on the host system and on the network if remotely possible. I've seen some not-quite rootkit malware that was also designed, on top of messing with DNS servers to modify the system HOSTS file and perhaps even modify WINSOCK to really mess things up. The reason it's mentioned everywhere, or in some places is to try to bring attention to it for when the time does come and the "friendly government-owned DNS Servers" are completely taken offline.
Also, speaking of poor emergency information, did anyone report about the one-second leap year bug that plagued many Linux kernels? No? Well, considering how few end users run Linux compared to Windows and BSD-based MacOS, yet how much of the Internet runs on Linux (most websites) you wouldn't have really known. The leap second bug, if action wasn't taken to disable ntpd on a system running a bugged kernel for a few days would have resulted in the system to no longer boot. Fun, eh? 🙂
For what Verizon can do about DNSChanger? Well, short of having the reps informed on it, having them check or completely reset routers and attempt to identify changned DNS/HOST files on the affected machine, it's most likely going to be Verizon telling the end user to take a visit to the nearest PC shop to have data backed up and the computer disinfected or reformatted. I most certainly anticipate the posts from people saying someone told them to re-install their OS and all of their files went bye bye 🙂
@LadyMac wrote:I am getting sick of this whole thing. Sounds like another stupid Y2K to me. I have only heard of it a couple of times. I have not seen it anywhere on the news - TV or radio. If this is such an emergency, why isn't it being mentioned everywhere? I also do not trust the sites that claim that they can fix it.
If someone, anyone, can prove without a doubt that this is real, please, I am all ears. If it is real, I would expect to see a response no later than tomorrow.
I will be anxiously waiting to hear back. Probably for nothing.
So the information on the FBI website isn't official enough for you?
DNS Changer Deadline Could Cripple Some PCs
Late last year, law enforcement in Estonia shut down a massive Internet traffic hijacking scheme that used the latest versions of DNSChanger Trojans to hijack search results while blocking victims from visiting security sites. The good news was the FBI was able to replace the scheme's DNS infrastructure with legitimate DNS servers keeping infected users online. The bad news was they legally only had until March 8 to keep that infrastructure up and running, meaning that millions of unaware infected users would suddenly be connectionless after that data. Fortunately, the FBI was able to extend that date -- but only until 12:01 a.m. EDT Monday, July 9 (next Monday). A group working in conjunction with the FBI has set up this website to help users scan for and fix infections.
Yes it is somegirl - It's just that when something that you would think should be a top priority doesn't seem like it's getting a lot of attention, it is a bit hard to take seriously. Or maybe it's just me. Just sayin'
Oh - thanks everyone for making better sense of this for me. 🐵
Well, I checked my computer through the DCWG website. I think I did it correctly and don't appear to have this infection. But, I am assuming that this could still appear before Doomsday on Monday and we will probably have to keep checking until then? It is all very nice that the FBI is supplying checks and fixes for these things, but, are they spending any time trying to find these vermin losers that create this crap? I never hear about anyone being brought to justice for doing this. Maybe they are being rewarded with nice jobs for the "Anti-Virus" companies?
lady..... what are YOUR official media outlets? CNN< MSNBC< Fox News???
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