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International hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world. The hackers infected a network of probably more than 570,000 computers worldwide. They took advantage of vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system to install malicious software on the victim computers.
Victim computers were reprogrammed to use rogue servers owned by the attackers. This allowed the attckers to redirect computers to fraudulent versions of any website. The hackers earned profits from advertisements that appeared on websited that victims were tricked into visiting. The scam netted the hackers at least $14 million according to the FBI.
The FBI set up a safety net months ago using government computers to prevent Internet disruptions but that system is to be shut down.
Most victims don't know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their web surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.
After July 9 infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet.
The FBI is encouraging users to visit a website run by its security partner that will inform them whether they are infected and explain how to fix the problem.
HERE IS A FIX:
2. Click on "Detect" in the upper left corner, or on the green button next to it.
3. You will be directed to a new page. Pick your language from the list and click on the link next to it.
4. If your computer is not infected, you will see a green logo with the message: "DNS Resolution=Green. Your computers appears to be looking up IP addresses correctly!"
5. If you see that message, you don't need to do anything more.
6. If you see a mesage with a red logo saying your computer appears to be infected, you will be directed to a new page. You will be directed to website that will provide antivirus tools that cybersecurity experts have identified as being effective in removing the malware.
7. The website also provide information on the case and the malware
--The Associated Press
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