Spyware, viruses, & security forum: Fact or fiction: People could lose their Internet connection in July?

For most folks, the other additional steps for changing your DNS IP address are not necessary. They help improve security, but, again, this is an optional step.

Securing your router or dsl modem is a good security practice that is proactive rather than reactive.

Securing will prevent any outside or inside attacks from changing your good DNS settings to something else, as only you can get inside your router or modem.

Securing your router or dsl modem will thus prevent a trojan as DNS Changer from every making a change to your device, now or in the future.

Securing your router or modem secures your home network as well. A one stop fix, if you will.

Write all passwords and all changes down so you can get back in, and revert to original setup if you wish.

Yes, this is real, though I seriously question the number of computers still infected. If it worked by redirecting you to to online porn or pharmacy sites if you typed in a popular URL into your address bar, you'd think the operators of said computers would have known by November when the offending operation was shut down. If I typed in www.google.com into address bar and got sent to a site selling Viagra I'd know something was up. Wouldn't you?

What I don't find coincidental is that the Copyright Alert System (a partnership between the big ISPs and the RIAA and MPAA to monitor your downloads) is supposed to be fully implemented in mid-July.

Maybe I'm missing something but if said infection no longer poses a risk to consumers and legit companies because the illegal operation and its servers have been shut down why does this need to happen? I don't think that's the real reason, or at least the only reason. Does anybody else agree?

https://forms.fbi.gov/check-to-see-if-your-computer-is-using-rogue-DNS

because it's the FBI site.

No.

Most users still affected are outside the United States. Less than 50,000 still infected here, according to one source.

Political ramifications if this was done could run very deep and could very well hurt the U. S. very badly in terms of world view and perception. We should not want that.

From your brief description I visited Help-easy.com with all defences up, non-IE browser, NoScript, WOT and AdBlockPlus enabled, and ready to pull the plug if needed.

But I didn't see anything from that first page that seemed menacing. Granted, it is a strange web site as there seems to be no useful links to see more information, and no About Us, no Privacy Policy and no ToC, so how anyone gets started with them is anyone's idea.

But other than that it is difficult to tell what problems you have had.

A WHOIS tells me this web domain is registered to a Software Data Security Group in Illinoise. No mention of Russia that I could tell.; http://whois.domaintools.com/help-easy.com

So, if you need more you will need to tell more.

One suggestion, I would not have posted in this "General discussion" from a weekly newsletter about another subject. I would have created my own discussion thread with full details. Otherwise the post here might have got lost in the crowd.

Mark

I had this problem myself got scammed. 1st start your PC in widows safe mode, then go to internet and go to combofix.com choose teir download (it is safe and free) then select run (it will run in dos mode it will go thru about 50 steps takes about 20 minutes, it will then prompt you to re-start your PC, after re-start the combofix download will run again, all your problems will be solved. HOPE THIS HELPS IT DID FOR ME. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW YOU MAKE OUT.

Interesting post. Although I don't want to 'read into' your post too much, but I don't understand these lines exactly:

Quote: "I received a telephone call from Verizon one morning two months ago. They said my internet service was on a DNS server that the FBI determined was a Rogue Server."
...
"It took 2 hours to find anyone at Verizon who would go to the FBI Site to look up what I was saying to see if it was true. They didn't even know about it and THEY called ME."

I don't exactly understand what you mean? Since 'they' originally called you, then 'they' MUST have known, even before you did!
If you are speaking about the 'anyone at Verizon' who didn't know (on your 2nd call, two months later, this time you called them) Then I suspect THAT (technical support?) person did NOT know. BUT Verizon obviously did, since they had called you two months earlier in the first place.
In actual fact, all you had to do was reference the 'email' they had originally sent to you. That way, 'they' did not even need to go to some other site (in this case the FBI).

So you may want to clear that up. Maybe others got it? I didn't?

Next, you spoke about running your own internet access 'anonymously' and everyone should get a 'proxy'.
I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the FBI can EASILY track proxy servers back to your own IP address. Seriously its simple.
Now, it may be difficult (somewhat) tracking your IP from some basic .com site you go to, by THAT site itself IF that site is not deciding to loop back through the proxy(ies) you use, but the FBI positively, undoubtedly, indubiously KNOW who you are and how to reach you, and see where you have been. Otherwise those menacing hackers and virus uploaders would never be found! (note: many spams and malwares tend to originate from countries and DNS Servers, that are not so legally abiding, or from your local Internet cafe, or from an 'anonymous' (truly anonymous) person(s) who have never provided their real identities to anyone, including the ISP ie like me! lol)

Anyway, you may not have wanted a reply to your story, but I just wanted to clear things up. Hope you reply
Oh, I also wanted to know if you ran the 'fix' tool I posted earlier on this DNS Changer?

I called immediately, the same day I received the call, and spent almost 5 hours total talking to people at Verizon. They called me out of the blue and no one at Verizon could understand why they called. They had no idea. I believe they ultimately sent me to the technical department. I was so upset, I didn't take notes.

I ONLY RECEIVED THE EMAIL AFTER I had the 5 hour session on the phone. It happened the first day. I thought the call was bogus and someone was messing with me. THE PEOPLE IN EVERY DEPARTMENT AT VERIZON HAD NO IDEA WHY I WAS CALLING! They had not heard of the threat. Count on it, They Do Now!

When they refused to move me off the 213 series DNS server, I asked why. They said, "if you don't have a static IP address, they could not change the DNS server." All that happened on the first call.

I then asked what it took to get the static IP address and they said, "Only Business Service can have a Static IP Address." I asked how much it would cost to change to a Business line and they transferred me to billing and when I found I had to pay approx. $7.00 per line to change, I opened an order for the business service. By the way, my service changed from 15/3 to 25/25 and I was assigned the Static IP Address.

It took a week for them to bring the new router and I sat with them to be sure the DNS had changed. They really did not have to change the FIOS Router. My model would have handled the 25/25 but they did it anyway.

I don't know who you are or how long you have been involved with computers, but I used to run a bulletin board and mail hub in the days before mosaic. On a dial-up bulletin board, you just didn't let them through the security port. We also had rooms similar to Citrix today, that check the data before you post anything that could be downloaded from your board before it was posted. Central Point was the software of choice. They are now PCTools.

With mosiac came hackers with skills. I used proximatron in the old days as our anonymous proxy. It was totally programmable. Look it up. I am sure there are still references on the internet,

With the new site being built in Utah, I know the capabilities of the NSA. I wouldn't worry too much about the FBI. I believe they rely on the NSA for their data. We wouldn't have two similar mega-data centers.

The Government is worse than Google with their data miners.

I am not committing any criminal acts on the internet and only move my DNS to London to keep hackers out. www.komar.org will tell you what hackers can see. I am not attempting to keep the FBI or NSA out of my computer.

I have 11 TB of data I use in my business. I don't want you or anyone else in my stuff. I know the hazard from the bulletin board days. That is why if you did not have a call-back number we would not let you join our boards.

I just don't know why Verizon or the FBI was even looking at my individual computer close enough to make a personal phone call to me. Like I said, I first thought it was a joke. But son-of-a-gun, I was assigned to the 213 series mentioned in the FBI lettter. I probably was singled out because they saw my computer was moved to the DNS in London. You are right, they could see me and thought the DNS Changer had moved me.

Yes, I did everything except reinstall the operating system that was mentioned in the bulletin. It would take 3 days to reinstall all the programs that would not transfer over if I did that. The DNS Changer said the virus was not present.

I responded to this CNet Topic only to tell people my experience. I now pay $7.00 more per line for my land lines. But the saving grace was the increase in my internet service to 25/25 that comes with the Static IP on the Business Service. My FTP operates at blazing speed now and I have some hefty files to move.

I also don't believe the ISP's that are involved would lose your service fees by letting you lose your internet. Moving the DNS server is a function of the ISP for most people. You wouldn't be notified if it happened.

the bulletin board was "Vigilante Justice" in Orange County, CA

I still have a silent hard drive on my system with all the tools for internet intrusion. I still have the timer_bomb.com file we used to send to hackers that opened when their computer was on and not in use for 30 minutes. Today we have tools that will recover a drive that was formatted 3 times so it isn't useful anymore as it only formats once. But, it was fun in it's day. Today it is probably illegal, but it is a dos file and wouldn't work unless it forced entry at reboot. Nobody uses DOS anymore.

I remember how people shared in those days. The "File Board" in San Diego was probably the best "C" programmers site. Compuserve was the best hardware site. But, all the ingeneous software we used to pass around. Because we were connected through all the Universities and Colleges, when we posted a question or needed a function, someone always was there to help in a day or two. That comraderie is gone from the present internet forums. Everyone want to sell it to you today. It used to be Shareware.

so much for reminiscing.

I can't believe I am the only post that was actually on a Rogue server on the FBI list. I would like to know how other handled it.

It actually only has 8 letters in the name as that was all a DOS file could have in those days. But I called it that, just in case someone else is looking at my computer and they think they can hack my files.

I also have 274 Wingding sets. The original encryption format. The things we used to do!

I can' find anything about the arrests your are talking about.
Please provide me with a location on the internet.

read my previous reply. I don't believe the Rogue Server and DNS changer theory.

I was searching for the wrong information