Will Your Computer Be Kicked off the Internet Monday?

The FBI estimates that 277,000 computers will lose Internet connectivity on Monday, July 9th, when it disables hackers' servers that were designed to steal personal information. If your computer was infected with the DNS Changer malware, you'll stop surfing Monday.

We have a simple test you can do, in order to find out if your computer is safe.

The malware was part of a data-stealing scam that was in place more than a year ago. It rewrote users' DNS information in order to reroute personal data, such as credit card and bank account information back to the hackers' servers. The FBI was able to shut down the scheme, and will shut down said servers on Monday. If your computer was indeed infected, you won't be able to access the web once those servers are decommissioned. (Geek speak for "turned off.")

This website - http://www.dns-ok.us/ - will tell you if your computer is infected. It doesn't install any software, and you don't need to install any tools. It simply checks to see if your computer is resolving (looking up) website addresses properly. Click here to run the test.

If the screen turns green, you're fine; if it goes red, it indicates an infection. If you are infected, you can download a free tool that you can use to rid your system of the DNS Changer.

More information on the DNS Changer malware is available on the FBI's website.

[Shelly Palmer]