DNS is a system that helps you resolve the domain name to an IP address. If this system gets corrupted, you can be directed anywhere online. No matter what website address you type, you can be taken to a website that might look like it. It can result in fraud, malware download, and password theft. It happens because a program on your computer is changing the DNS address. It is called DNS Malware. In this post, we will share how you can check if your computer is infected with DNS malware and how you can fix it.
I wrote about this a couple of years ago where I mentioned:
A few Cyber Criminals were arrested a couple of years ago because they did something on the Internet. Because of this, many users were being sent to fraud sites instead of original sites, and they never knew about it. They called it Operation Ghost Click. Fast forward in 2012, it has been declared that many users might not be able to surf internet because whatever they changed is being fixed.
What is DNS Malware in simple English?
Under Operation Ghost Click, those cyber criminals changed something called DNS, which on every computer is responsible for finding a website after you type the address on the browser’s address bar.
This is like asking a guy on the road about the hotel’s address. If he is a good guy, he will tell you the correct address, but if he is a bad guy, he can get you in trouble. DNS Malware is the bad guy.
How to fix DNS Malware infection from your computer?
Check if your computer is infected. You can do this by running any popular antivirus on your computer. You can double-check by visiting this website. If it goes red, it means something on your computer is changing the DNS entries. Here is the list of free tools which you can use to remove it
| Hitman Pro (32bit and 64bit versions) | http://www.surfright.nl/en/products/ |
| Kaspersky Labs TDSSKiller | http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363 |
| McAfee Stinger | http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads/free-tools/stinger.aspx |
| Windows Security | http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/what-is-windows-defender-offline |
| Microsoft Safety Scanner | http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx |
| Norton Power Eraser | http://security.symantec.com/nbrt/npe.aspx |
| Trend Micro Housecall | http://housecall.trendmicro.com |
| MacScan | http://macscan.securemac.com/ |
| Avira | http://www.avira.com/en/support-for-home-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/1199 Avira’s DNS Repair-Tool |
How to change DNS?
You must change it on its admin page if you are connected over a Router or Modem. Since this depends on what kind of router or modem you have, the best is to call the technical person or somebody around you who can help.
If you have configured DNS on your Computer Manually, you may change your Network Settings and TCP/IP Properties entries. You can also use tools like DNS Jumper, and DNS Exchanger to change DNS.
