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Come March 8, the Internet could stop
working for millions of users because of a virus, DNS Changer, which has
corrupted millions of computers in more than 100 countries.
Though the US Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) has shut down the rogue DNSChanger network and put
up surrogate servers following a US court order, it has the mandate to
run the temporary network only till March 8. Unless the FBI obtains a
fresh order, the network will be turned off, resulting in millions of
computers worldwide no longer having Internet access.
In November 2011, six Estonian nationals
were arrested for running a sophisticated Internet fraud ring that
infected millions of computers worldwide with the DNS Changer which
enabled them manipulate the multibillion dollar Internet advertising
industry. This virus also made computers vulnerable to a host of other
viruses. The criminals are said to have siphoned off $14 million, but
the amount could be much larger because banks are typically reluctant to
reveal how much they have lost. The two-year FBI investigation was
code-named Operation Ghost Click.
