‘Internet Doomsday’ malware could still affect computer if not completely removed

Monday, July 9 is being called “Internet Doomsday.” Thousands of computer users were predicted to have woken up this morning – unable to connect to
the Internet.

It appears that few computers were unable to connect to the world wide web. However, if someone is connected to the Internet, but hasn’t removed the malware in question, they could be at risk for further problems down the road.

As the deadline approached, Internet service providers such as AT&T Inc. and Time Warner Cable Inc. set up their own safety nets to allow the affected computers to continue to access the Internet.

AT&T said only a “small percentage” of its customers were affected by the virus. To make sure they can continue to access the Internet, the company will maintain legitimate Internet servers for them through the end of the year.

This, said spokesman Mark Siegel, gives people “adequate time” to remove the virus from their computers and avoid service interruption.

Time Warner Cable would not say how many of its customers were affected by the virus, but spokesman Justin Venech said the company also set up its own servers to ensure they can get online. Time Warner has no specific deadline, but the company will notify people who are affected so they can fix their computers.

Verizon Communications Inc. said it will “continue to provide extended support to our customers during the month of July – while continuing to instruct them on the necessary actions they must take to resolve the issue on their computers.”

The company added that it has notified affected customers “using a variety of methods, including email, phone calls, and postal mail correspondence.”

Last year, a malicious software known as “DNS Changer” was laced into the
programming of more than 500,000 machines.

If your computer is infected, your only hope is your Internet service provider’s help desk.

Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent, said many Internet providers have plans to try to help their customers. And some may put technical solutions in place Monday that will correct the server problem. It they do that, the Internet will work, but the malware will remain on victims’ computers and could pose future problems.

When
the FBI and other law enforcement agencies tracked down the
criminals in Estonia, they were afraid to shut down their operation
entirely.

“It was a highly unusual situation,” says Byron Acohido, a local
technology reporter who writes for USA Today.

Acohido explains that if the criminal servers had simply been shut off, all
infected computers would have instantly been unable to go online. The
FBI set up a temporary safety net, and they began working with
Internet service providers to locate and clean the infected machines.

They knew from the start that this fix would only buy them some time to
mitigate the effects of the virus. As of midnight, the FBI safety net was turned off, which could possibly leave more than 250,000 people without
Internet access. More than 260,000 computers are still infected, about
64,000 of them in the U.S.

The FBI says the creators of DNS Changer made $14 million through
“click fraud” before they were discovered. The bug would send your
browser to websites where the hackers would get paid per click by online
advertisers. Acohido says that might have been just the beginning.

“Keep in mind, they have a piece of malware on your PC. They own
your PC. They can do whatever they want with your PC when they’re
done doing click fraud,” says Acohido.

There are dozens of very sophisticated groups creating new and even
more malicious malware every day. The latest trend seems to be search
engine optimization. The criminals will craft websites so they pop up at
the top when you search for something. When you click on the link, your
computer is infected.

Acohido advises you to checking the URL rather than the description of the
website. If the web address ends in .cn or .ru, the site is originating in
China or Russia.

“Get the heck out of there. Don’t click on that,” says Acohido.

It has taken about a decade for malicious programmers to get to this
level of sophistication with malware. Acohido says the learning curve is
much faster when it comes to your smart phone. They have already
figured out how to get users to click on poisoned links. All they have to
do is update their programming.

When it comes to protecting your devices make sure to
keep tabs on what malware is out there and keep your security software
update, Acohido says you’ll be a lot less likely to fall victim to the next
doomsday virus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.