DNSChanger dead, now what? Video

DNSChanger dead, now what? Video Transcript

Hello -- -- -- -- -- inside -- with me as Seth Rosenblatt senior editor for CNET thanks for joining us thank you -- Seth has been blogging about the DNS changer virus and it wasn't a lot of -- because 1201 has come and gone and wouldn't. We. Haven't heard much about people who are having problems but. As you say if the castrate him exactly and -- it's one of those things where if you're infected you know not on the Internet and so we're not gonna know about you. Their phones people -- call somebody with the government please by all means do not call me and Pacific at that. It -- it's a serious issue of course but I think. At this point the larger story is you know people making sure that they have an antivirus protection on both windows and Mac. -- and Android and -- and you know. It's a staying safe on the -- So their word not that many computers so that we're even going to be possibly affect it right I mean the percentage of all computer users was relatively well. Absolutely. The original number when the FBI took down the the bad guys in November 2011 was around 550000. A global infections. And we think the last number I heard was around 330000. -- it infections. Its heart it -- -- until this point of course because the network that was keeping those people connected to the Internet is now down. Even if you weren't affected by DNS changer the fact that similar malware can just shut down -- access to the Internet of course is rather troubling. Episode. You know is this the lessons -- lesson learned here I mean could this happen in the future to -- and and cause greater damage. Possibly out at absolutely. I think that this is one of those situations where. The visit of the -- -- never want to disconnecting from the Internet that that kind of of messing with people doesn't really happen that much anymore. Where they really want from you is your money. And so what this virus would do is it would redirect you to pay two pages that would serve ads or pages. That would try to get you to submit your personal information. They want you -- cash they don't want to disconnect you. -- and you say that they best protection is to just to make sure your running anti virus software solution that's simple you don't have to do anything beyond. No I mean you do have to be careful about what sites you go to because a while. -- security softer will protect you. A lot of these these these attacks these days. They're not interested in -- you know command hearing your computer for nefarious he uses. They just going to give them cash -- -- that's gonna send -- -- red -- for people and hopefully -- not going to submit anything absolutely. And that there is actually very clever a lot of them now use these these -- -- sites where it looks like you're submitting your information for -- a contest for something. And so you put in your email address and -- putting your phone number and in you know maybe even your home address. And before you know it. You're getting charge premium SMS spam and all kinds of stuff then and it's of the stuff looks legitimate and -- in fact not legitimate national -- Any other telltale signs found one very good trick is to look at your URL bar on the web site that you're visiting and make sure that it is the -- world that it should be. If it if it doesn't say FaceBook dot com or if it doesn't have your -- proper. Spelling for its name. Don't you know don't do anything close the window we've -- Okay all right there I have to say that -- throwing -- a little bit of the hype leading up to Y -- K not as much and not I I I agree you know but but it's one of those things where. Fixing your computer from DNS changer after they -- on the network is much much more difficult. And it is when it is connected so -- -- there was a deadline and I think was important and everybody go to the website the government so that would check your computer. And it seems like a lot of people did that because -- been commenting on and stories that we've published that they're not infected okay well that's so far is good news -- absolutely. -- thanks so much thank you. For inside -- consuming extra. --