Still 400 computers infected with the DNS Changer malware in Switzerland - SWITCH offers online check.

July 4, 2012 / Marco D'Alessandro

In Switzerland, 400 computers are currently still infected with the DNS Changer malware. If the malware is not removed before 9 July 2012, users will no longer be able to access the Internet. SWITCH is offering an effective countermeasure with www.dns-check.ch.

UPDATE: The DNS-Changer check at www.dns-check.ch became obsolete on 9 July 2012. Systems that are still infected with this Trojan can no longer access the Internet and hence cannot carry out tests any more. The DNS-Changer check has thus been deactivated for this reason.
Thank you for your understanding.


"DNS Changer" is the name of the malware that has infected PCs here in Switzerland too. On the affected PCs, the DNS system has been changed in such a way that the user is diverted to other websites without noticing it. In November 2011, the American FBI was able to arrest the fraudsters and replace the DNS servers used by the criminals by correctly operating servers. These servers are being definitively switched off on 9 July 2012, however. As a result, infected computers will no longer have access to the Internet.

Security in the Internet has topmost priority for SWITCH. "Anyone who has not checked their PC on the www.dns-check.ch website that we set up should make sure they do this before 9 July 2012. Otherwise there is a risk that they will no longer be able to access the Internet after this date", explains Dr. Serge Droz, Head of the Security Department at SWITCH.

Since autumn 2011, SWITCH has been notifying Internet Service Providers in Switzerland who have systems infected with "DNS Changer" in their network. Since then, the number of contaminated computers has been continually declining. To ensure that the problem can be eliminated in its entirety, it is also necessary to clean the remaining systems.

On www.dns-check.ch Internet users will also find detailed information there on what to do in the event of their PC being infected.

About SWITCH
As a non-profit organisation, SWITCH guarantees Switzerland’s access to the Internet. One hundred employees work on a daily basis on further developing web technologies, facilitating the exchange of knowledge between Swiss universities and increasing the security of the Internet in Switzerland. For private businesses, SWITCH compiles customized security solutions and supports the exchange of information. In 2012, the Internet service provider with its head office in Zurich will be celebrating its 25th anniversary.

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