Politics & Government
Internet Blackout: Is Your Computer Affected?
Here's an easy way to check whether your computer might be using a temporary server set up by the government last year due to a malware called Alureon.
You may be hearing about a possible Internet blackout that could take place at 9:01 p.m. Sunday when a malware fix set up by the FBI expires.
A Yahoo news story about Alureon circulating on Facebook Sunday afternoon explains what's up.
Basically a malware work-around established by the FBI last year redirected thousands of computers to alternative servers to avoid an "Internet Doomsday." That work-around expires just after midnight Eastern time Monday.
Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The estimate on how many U.S. computers could be affected range from 43,000 to more than 60,000.
But it's easy to see whether or not this affects you. Just get your IP address (easiest way is to Google "What's my IP address") and enter that number into a box on the FBI's website.
Find out what's happening in Campbellwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Or, just go to this Domain Name Service (DNS) site, and it will do it for you. If you see a green box, you're supposedly going to be A-OK. If you see a red box, it will instruct you on how to fix the bug.
U.S. service providers such as AT&T reportedly have made temporary arrangements so their customers won't be affected, but if you are, there are links on the FBI's site about how to fix the problem.
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