If your computer is infected with a certain kind of malware, it may not be able to connect to the Internet as of July 9, 2012.
A sophisticated Internet fraud began in 2007. Rove Digital, a group of foreign nationals mostly from Estonia, hijacked computers and re-routed Internet traffic to certain websites or ads, allowing the group to be paid, according to the FBI.
The scam changed the Domain Name System (essentially a way for your computer to look up the website you want to visit) to a different one. For example, if your computer was infected with this malware and you clicked on a link for the Internal Revenue Service, you would have been taken to H&R Block’s website.
Rove Digital is reported to have earned at least $14 million by switching ads and redirecting traffic to advertisements that would give the group more money. Not only did this result in the scammers making millions, but it defrauded legitimate websites and search engines out of revenue.
The malicious servers are being taken offline on July 9. That means that if your computer has the malware and you don’t take steps to clean your computer, it will seem like the Internet cannot be accessed after the servers are taken offline.
To check if your computer is working properly, click this link http://www.dns-ok.us/ .
If your computer is infected (and it is estimated a few hundred thousand U.S. computers are), visit one of the many sites dedicated to helping victims clean up their computers. Also file a report with the FBI for its investigations into the Rove Digital group at https://forms.fbi.gov/dnsmalware.
For more information about the fraud visit:
http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2011/manhattan-u.s.-attorney-charges-seven-individuals-for-engineering-sophisticated-internet-fraud-scheme-that-infected-millions-of-computers-worldwide-and-manipulated-internet-advertising-business.
Check to see if your computer is using rogue DNS.
DNS Changer Malware (PDF).