Computers Affected by DNS-Changer to Lose Web Connectivity on July 9

More than 250,000 computers are expected to lose connectivity to the Internet on July 9^th as the FBI pulls the plug on a series of DNS servers involved in a malware scheme.

DNS is an Internet service that translates Internet addresses (readable by the user) into IP addresses (readable by computers). They are similar to a phone directory where each name has a corresponding number, except that it holds website names rather than person names.

These rogue DNS servers that used to forward users to malware and phishing pages were seized by the FBI in November last year, replaced with genuine ones and kept in production so victims could still access the Internet.

The servers will be taken offline on Monday, making it impossible for the 250,000 systems to locate the server IPs associated to URLs. This means the user will not only be unable to access most webpages on the Internet, but will also experience issues with using some applications relying on the web.

Unfortunately, antivirus software or internet security products can’t mitigate the issue, as they can only eliminate the malware, not reverse its effects on the computer. In order to regain access to the web, the users must remove the malware and fix their DNS settings. Some internet service providers have taken additional measures to keep their subscribers connected after July 9^th. To stay safe, download and use The Bitdefender DNS Changer Fixer.