Volume 3:Online Security: Find out the DNSChanger Malware and its effect on your computer
This series from Connectikpeople aims to raise awareness regarding online threats.
Now we focus on DNSChanger Malware.
The Domain Name System (DNS) works like a telephone book for the internet,
changing domain names into numerical Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. When you
enter a domain name (such as 'www.staysmartonline.gov.au') into your web
browser, the computer contacts the DNS servers to find the IP address that
corresponds to the domain name (for example, 172.16.254.1).
Your computer then uses this IP address to connect to the website you are looking for. The DNS servers you use are usually operated by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and form part of the network which connects your computer to the internet.
Without the DNS and DNS servers, you would not be able to access websites, send e-mail, or use many other internet services.
Criminals have learned that if they can control DNS servers, they can control which sites a user connects to on the internet. By controlling a user's DNS, a criminal can cause an internet user to unknowingly access fraudulent or malicious content, or otherwise interfere with a user's web browsing.
One way criminals do this is by infecting computers with a type of malicious software (malware) called DNSChanger. The DNSChanger malware replaces a user's DNS settings with settings that connect to 'rogue' DNS servers.
DNSChanger alters your computer's DNS settings to replace your 'default' DNS settings with settings that connect to the rogue DNS servers. DNSChanger also attempts to access devices on your network such as your router and change their DNS settings so that they connect to the rogue DNS servers.
This means that all the computers on your network can be affected by DNSChanger, even if they are not directly infected with the malware. From dns-ok.
Your computer then uses this IP address to connect to the website you are looking for. The DNS servers you use are usually operated by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and form part of the network which connects your computer to the internet.
Without the DNS and DNS servers, you would not be able to access websites, send e-mail, or use many other internet services.
Criminals have learned that if they can control DNS servers, they can control which sites a user connects to on the internet. By controlling a user's DNS, a criminal can cause an internet user to unknowingly access fraudulent or malicious content, or otherwise interfere with a user's web browsing.
One way criminals do this is by infecting computers with a type of malicious software (malware) called DNSChanger. The DNSChanger malware replaces a user's DNS settings with settings that connect to 'rogue' DNS servers.
DNSChanger alters your computer's DNS settings to replace your 'default' DNS settings with settings that connect to the rogue DNS servers. DNSChanger also attempts to access devices on your network such as your router and change their DNS settings so that they connect to the rogue DNS servers.
This means that all the computers on your network can be affected by DNSChanger, even if they are not directly infected with the malware. From dns-ok.
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