[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Truth About the March 8 Internet Doomsday here

[GraysonPeddie]

Well, at least I'm glad I'm not infected.

Also, while the instructions are aimed at those using Windows XP, you don't need a pro if you can follow the instructions.

http://www.myantispy...jan-dnschanger/

Currently, I'm in Windows 7 and I'm unsure if it affects the OS. I've set the UAC settings to always notify me if and only if I need to do something that requires admin privileges. Of course, the problem does exist between a chair and a keyboard. The user between the chair and computer is always the weakest link and I consider UAC to be the last line of defense.

[sensible99]

Exactly how have the FBI been warning people all this time? I only heard about it this week.

[ushere]

sensible99, on 19 February 2012 - 04:36 PM, said:

Exactly how have the FBI been warning people all this time? I only heard about it this week.

it seems you've heard ;-)

[Martinos0z]

The Internet may not break tomorrow or even next year, but there are people out there that really care, people that simply don’t want to risk it all for an ill-conceived attempt at stopping illicit downloads.

[databaseben]

sure, you can re-install the o.s. again. but its likely the pc user will make the same mistake again and get re-infected.

the websites should be posted so that people can update their hosts file.

[Carlz8w9]

I just spoke to a tech at Cox, my isp, he said that they've never heard of the March 8 Internet Doomsday situation. He asked me to email this article to them. They believe it's a phishing scam.

[ChristinaDesMarais]

Carlz8w9, on 20 February 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

I just spoke to a tech at Cox, my isp, he said that they've never heard of the March 8 Internet Doomsday situation. He asked me to email this article to them. They believe it's a phishing scam.

No, that's wrong. All the links in this story are legit and here's a press release from the FBI itself on the subject: http://www.fbi.gov/n.../malware_110911

[iFandroid]

ushere, on 19 February 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

sensible99, on 19 February 2012 - 04:36 PM, said:

Exactly how have the FBI been warning people all this time? I only heard about it this week.

it seems you've heard ;-)

I barely knew of this because I read this article. If the FBI wants to inform is as easy as an automated call and tv announcement. I don't think they want people to know.

[RealPaul5d8p]

Instead of the day the Internet dies, it may be, for me the day I install Ubuntu on my laptop.

[Flalaski]

computer professionals? lol these aren't very hard instructions..

[ShelkeSwapnil]

fix it as early as possible

[TouVang]

ChristinaDesMarais, on 20 February 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

Carlz8w9, on 20 February 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

I just spoke to a tech at Cox, my isp, he said that they've never heard of the March 8 Internet Doomsday situation. He asked me to email this article to them. They believe it's a phishing scam.

No, that's wrong. All the links in this story are legit and here's a press release from the FBI itself on the subject: http://www.fbi.gov/n.../malware_110911

That article tells about the people arrested and what they were doing. It doesn't actually say that the FBI is gonna shut down the internet for the infected computers.

[iFandroid]

TouVang, on 22 February 2012 - 01:13 PM, said:

ChristinaDesMarais, on 20 February 2012 - 01:55 PM, said:

Carlz8w9, on 20 February 2012 - 12:47 PM, said:

I just spoke to a tech at Cox, my isp, he said that they've never heard of the March 8 Internet Doomsday situation. He asked me to email this article to them. They believe it's a phishing scam.

No, that's wrong. All the links in this story are legit and here's a press release from the FBI itself on the subject: http://www.fbi.gov/n.../malware_110911

That article tells about the people arrested and what they were doing. It doesn't actually say that the FBI is gonna shut down the internet for the infected computers.

Thank you.

[shujin]

I went to the Avira DNS Repair Tool link but there they say it does "Avira provides a tool for this purpose that will reset the entries to Windows standard." It indicates contrary to your statement that it doesn't remove the trojan. Please clarify whether this link is authentic and not a risk to use. Thanks

[iFandroid]

shujin, on 23 February 2012 - 05:34 AM, said:

I went to the Avira DNS Repair Tool link but there they say it does "Avira provides a tool for this purpose that will reset the entries to Windows standard." It indicates contrary to your statement that it doesn't remove the trojan. Please clarify whether this link is authentic and not a risk to use. Thanks

Or you can just format your computer and have a backup of your files next time.
Here's my advice: Don't download anything that you don't recognize. Do not accept unrecognized requests. Say no to tools that request access to your computer unless you know where they are coming from. If your interested in a program, but you cannot verify if it is legitimate, then research about it first and then decide what to do. Finally, never assume a legitimate looking website is legitimate.

Good luck cleaning your computer.

[twizzard]

Just one more good reason to use OpenDNS (see opendns.com) in addition to speed and the usual safety benefits. Of course, it is also important to protect everything on the internet, and good passwords are just the start.

[twizzard]

Of course the malware could affect Windows 7 -- and since they could attack your router, this concern applies for every operating system used on the internet.
Do not assume that Windows UAC will protect your system, especially if the administrator password hasn't be set to something secure. Even Windows 7 is vulnerable to poor security practice by the user. UAC can be one element of your defense -- but only one.

Even with Windows 7, keeping your system up to date, practicing safe computing, and using strong passwords are all essential.

GraysonPeddie, on 19 February 2012 - 03:49 PM, said:

Well, at least I'm glad I'm not infected.

Also, while the instructions are aimed at those using Windows XP, you don't need a pro if you can follow the instructions.

http://www.myantispy...jan-dnschanger/

Currently, I'm in Windows 7 and I'm unsure if it affects the OS. I've set the UAC settings to always notify me if and only if I need to do something that requires admin privileges. Of course, the problem does exist between a chair and a keyboard. The user between the chair and computer is always the weakest link and I consider UAC to be the last line of defense.

[twizzard]

Avira is indeed a good company, and while I have not used their DNS Repair tool, it probably does exactly what it says it will do. However, note that Avira says that their tool will "reset the entries to windows standard", NOT that it removes any malware. This is part of what you need to do if your computer was infected, but only part. They also make a free antivirus tool, and anyone who was affecte by this malware definitely needs a good antivirus. In addition, setting the DNS to Windows standard would still not be nearly as good as setting the DNS to OpenDNS's servers.

iFandroid, on 23 February 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

shujin, on 23 February 2012 - 05:34 AM, said:

I went to the Avira DNS Repair Tool link but there they say it does "Avira provides a tool for this purpose that will reset the entries to Windows standard." It indicates contrary to your statement that it doesn't remove the trojan. Please clarify whether this link is authentic and not a risk to use. Thanks

Or you can just format your computer and have a backup of your files next time.
Here's my advice: Don't download anything that you don't recognize. Do not accept unrecognized requests. Say no to tools that request access to your computer unless you know where they are coming from. If your interested in a program, but you cannot verify if it is legitimate, then research about it first and then decide what to do. Finally, never assume a legitimate looking website is legitimate.

Good luck cleaning your computer.

[ParrotSlave]

Why doesn't PCWorld get ready to compile a list of companies that go offline on March 8? If those companies are that incompetent when it comes to security, I don't want to do business with any of them, and I'm sure many of your readers feel the same way. Our information is not safe with them. When the FBI did this, the argument in all the media was about the propriety and the novelty of the FBI taking over those servers. I have to admit that the thought never occurred to me that the threat from that virus still existed due to lack of security awareness on the part of so many people.