A screenshot from CNET shows how to find DNS servers in OS X
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Six Estonians responsible for distributing malware to about four million computers worldwide have been arrested, according to a report on the FBI website on Wednesday. The FBI says the arrests are a result of a two-year FBI investigation called Operation Ghost Click.
The individuals used DNSChanger to redirect users to rogue servers controlled by the cybercrime group, allowing them to manipulate users’ web activity as well as internet advertising to generate at least $14 million in illicit funds.
According to the report, the crime ring began infecting computers in 2007, including about half a million computers in the US. The FBI says “there was a level of complexity here that [it] hasn’t seen before.”
The cybercriminals were taken into custody Tuesday by Estonian officials, and the US will seek to extradite them, according to the report.
US authorities seized computers and rogue DNS servers at various locations. The rogue DNS servers have been replaced with legitimate servers so users who were infected will not have their internet access disrupted, according to the FBI. However, the replacemet servers will not remove the DNSChanger malware from infected computers. The FBI is urging those individuals who think their computers may be affected to contact a professional. CNET also provides instructions on how to check your DNS servers on your computer.
The complexity of malware and cyberattacks in general have been referenced in the recent coverage of the Duqu virus as well. Web hosts have an opportunity to offer customers security expertise and related services in light of their heightened security awareness. As malware and viruses become more complex, no doubt services providers will expand security offerings and innovate new anti-malware solutions.
About Nicole Henderson
Nicole Henderson writes full-time for the Web Host Industry Review where she covers daily news and features online, as well as in print. She has a bachelor of journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, and has been writing for the WHIR since September 2010. You can find her on Twitter @NicoleHenderson.
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