Two giants of the Internet want to make sure you can still get to them after July 9.
Google and Facebook are actively scanning the computers of their users to find some of the nearly 1 million people who have been infected with the DNSChanger malware in the U.S. Google is displaying a warning across the top of its search results page, while Facebook has placed a similar warning at the top of its post-login page. If a user’s computer is infected, Google and Facebook will know and display the warning. Users who are not infected will see no warning at all.
With so many computers potentially impacted by the DNSChange malware, it is no surprise that these two mega-sites want to help eliminate it. Any machine afflicted with the DNSChanger will not be able to connect to the Internet after July 9.
As reported by CNet, the whole problem goes back to an online criminal ring from 2007 that was tinkering with computers' settings and then directing users to rogue servers that the criminals had set up. These servers then re-directed users to malicious Web sites. Late last year, the FBI arrested the ring and seized the rogue servers. But since so many infected computers relied on the servers to reach the Internet, the agency opted not to shut them down and instead converted them to legitimate DNS machines. Due to the high cost associated with operating these servers, the FBI has decided to shut them down on July 9, leaving any infected computer that has not been fixed with no way to reach the Internet.
The Google and Facebook warnings offer links to information on how to remove the DNSChange malware. Anyone who thinks he may be a victim is encouraged to run a Google search, or log in to Facebook to find out for sure.
I had the good fortunate of being a principal of seven schools in four states. Something I learned early in my career was unless the superintendent tells you to make these changes immediately or you are extremely familiar with the school, I would wait before I started to revamp what is already in place. If I had to guess a timeframe, perhaps a semester or a year might be a good rule of thumb. What I would consider minor changes could be implemented sooner of course.
I have seen too...
Supreme Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
In 2022, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson made history as the first African American female being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. There have been 115 Supreme Court justices as of 2021! Justice Jackson becomes only the...
Your classroom community is set up, you have your daily schedule and you are ready to start the day. An exciting part of the day is when the children come in to the classroom community. They are happy to be there, and they want to learn! I wanted to share some things that I did in my classroom that worked and geared my students up for success first thing each morning.
1....
Creators David Friedman and Philip Kholos continue the adventure of Koga, a boy who uses meditation, yoga, and kung fu to navigate life’s challenges in Koga and Friends:Shelter. The film was selected for Best of...
Once again there was a school shooting in the US and this time in Michigan. As a former secondary school administrator, I try to reflect on what I would have done if I was in that situation. Every state and school district has their own rules and policies on suspensions, searching back bags, etc. Unfortunately, blame is being placed on school officials and what they did not do to prevent this tragedy. Did they school officials do the right thing by interviewing the student and meeting with...