engine - 9:08 am on Jul 5, 2012 (gmt 0)

I think we can expect some confusion next week from the 300,000 that had no idea they had a malware infestation.

DNSChanger Malware and Botnet Shutdown Will Cut 300,000 Off The Net [pcpro.co.uk]

The FBI will pull the plug on DNSChanger servers next week, leaving thousands of people without internet access - but such "tough love" is necessary to protect the internet, say experts.

DNSChanger does exactly what the name suggests, fiddling with DNS settings to maliciously redirect users via its command and control servers to different sites. On Monday, the FBI will shut down those servers, leaving as many as 300,000 PCs worldwide - and 19,589 in the UK, as of last month - with the wrong DNS settings and unable to access the web, unless they take the unusual step of directly entering IP addresses into the browser.