Did malware affect your internet service?
Posted: 07/05/2012
DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) - More than 227,000 people worldwide may be experiencing an internet outage today, according to the FBI and about 64,000 of those computers are in America.
The FBI set up a special website http:// www.dcwg.org to help users quickly detect malware that may have taken over their computers more than a year ago.
Infected computers will not be able to access the Internet as of 12:01 a.m. Monday and will need to call their service provider for help deleting the malware.
According to the Associated Press the problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of more than 570,000 infected computers around the world. When the FBI went in to take down the hackers late last year, agents realized that if they turned off the malicious servers being used to control the computers, all the victims would lose their Internet service.
To remedy the situation, the FBI set up a temporary system so people would not suddenly lose their Internet service. Today that temporary service was shut down.
Internet users have been warned about the upcoming outage for months, through Facebook, Google and e-mails from their internet-service providers.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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