whats with this DNS changer malware on monday 7/9/12?

[jrutter]

hey all,

perhaps this has been previously covered on this forum..........

there is supposed to be a DNS changer malware that the FBI has been involved in

and I'm told that if this malware is on my pc then I will lose internet connection next monday

is this for real????

[ccorwin]

I have also seen several media outlets reporting on this. My question is, Does MalwareBytes effectively search for and elliminate this virus/malware? I have also seen a link to a website that is supposed to be an agency working with the FBI to help people search their system for the malware...

[ccorwin]

dcwg.org is the website that I have found that will check your PC for the malware... supposedly working with FBI

[AdvancedSetup]

Hello and welcome to Malwarebytes

Yes the information is correct. They have supplied you with methods to test your system for this as well.

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[gerardwil]

For more info:

http://www.networkwo...rity_2012-07-06

[shadowwar]

Also malwarebytes will remove this on the computer end. It is a good idea to scan your setup at the dcwg.org site as this can also change settings in a router if you use one. That being said we haven't seen any removals recently in reports.

[sharonsss]

Sorry to sound dense about this, but I'm still not sure whether Malwarebytes (the FREE version) checks for this DNS changer malware. I've checked my PC at more than one "checker" site (all found on the FBI's official web site), and I always get a green background/banner/border/whatever that says it APPEARS I do not have the malware on my computer. But it ALSO says that if my "ISP is redirecting DNS traffic for its customers", my PC may STILL be infected.

One reply in this string just gives complicated instructions about how to remove the malware (I thought that Malwarebytes automatically removed malware when it found it in a scan). The last post says Malwarebytes DOES remove the DNS changer "on the computer end". I thought to myself, "what other end IS there?" It also says that it is a good idea to "scan your setup" at the dcwg.org site, "as this can also change settings in a router if you use one". Why would I want the dcwg to change my router settings?!

I have been running Malwarebytes free version for about 18 months now. It has never, EVER said that it found a single instance of malware. That's either very good (very lucky)...or the free program, which I DO update regularly, isn't really able to detect current malware programs.

[daledoc1]

Hi, sharonsss:

AFAIK, yes, even MBAM Free will pick this up (it's the same program with the same database as MBAM PRO -- it just doesn't offer real-time protection, scheduled scans/updates or incremental database updates).

If you've scanned your system with MBAM and at the recommended sites and you come up clean, you are likely just fine for this particular problem.

(There's a lot of FUD out on the internet about this... )

Additional information about the DNS changer can be found here:

http://forums.malwar...=1

No security program can possibly detect or remove 100% of the ever-changing malware that are out there.

However, in combination with a robust, up-to-date, real-time anti-virus (free or paid) and a good firewall (software and/or hardware), MBAM offers excellent layered, complementary protection.

So -- generally speaking -- it is a good thing that MBAM has never detected anything on your system.

If you are maintaining good, safe computer security practices, it is possible you've never been infected.

Speaking only as a home user with NO financial interest whatsoever, I can attest to the value of the nominal cost of a lifetime license for MBAM PRO precisely b/c of the advantages (ESPECIALLY real-time protection) that it offers.

PREVENTING a malware infection is far better, easier and ultimately cheaper than trying to remove one and/or recover one's lost data.

Strictly JMHO.

HTH,

daledoc1

[screen317]

What symptoms of malware are you experiencing on your computer??

"as this can also change settings in a router if you use one". Why would I want the dcwg to change my router settings?!

You're not reading it correctly. The implication is that malware can also do that.

Scan at the dcwg site.. your router may be infected, which MBAM does not scan for, to the best of my knowledge.

[daledoc1]

What symptoms of malware are you experiencing on your computer??

Scan at the dcwg site.. your router may be infected, which MBAM does not scan for, to the best of my knowledge.

Thanks for the clarification, screen317.

[shadowwar]

Screen317 is correct. Malwarebytes can not fix a router if it is infected. If you have never detected this on your computer system then you are safe. It has to be installed on a computer first and your router has to be using default passwords for this to happen. Even then its incredibly rare.

Dcwg.org site will not change settings. Its just a tool to see if your dns is redirected. That's all it does.

What you saw is about your provider possibly having its dns corrupted on the servers. This simply would be incredibly rare and there is absolutely nothing you can do on your end about it.

[sharonsss]

Thank you, to everyone, for helping to clarify what Malwarebytes does and doesn't do. I have not had any kind of errors or corruption on my PC...I was just reacting to all the news reports on TV today. I could not find a "scan" to run on the dcwg site, but I did find an explanation of how to manually check my PC. I got into CMD mode and checked the ipconfig /all information, comparing the addresses listed under DNS on my PC with a list of "bad" address ranges. I remember doing that about a year ago, after a newspaper article suggested it. So I think I can ignore all the disaster warnings on network news. Thanks for all you help.