Web Service May Die for Hundreds of Thousands

FBI advises Windows users to visit security website
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 21, 2012 1:44 PM CDT
Web Service May Die for Hundreds of Thousands
Windows computer users, beware: Your Internet access may end in July.   (Shutterstock)

The FBI says it's time for Windows users to make sure their computers aren't infected by an unusual virus. As it stands, hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide are infected and will be unable to surf the Web after July 9, the AP reports. It all started when an Estonian hacker gang allegedly installed malicious software on more than 570,000 computers. Then, when those users surfed the Web, the gang rerouted them through rogue servers to other websites in order to rake in advertising dollars.

Enter the FBI, which rounded up six Estonians last November—and realized that all those infected computers would be unable to surf the Web once the rogue servers were shut down. So the FBI set up its own server system to keep those computers Web-worthy. Now the FBI says it's tired of playing Web server (and the feds are tired of paying for it—about $87,000 so far). So Windows users are advised to visit www.dcwg.org, which will show you whether you've been infected and guide you through a quick fix. (More internet stories.)

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