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Internet Blackout: Is Your Computer Affected?

Here's an easy way to check whether your computer might be using a temporary server set up by the government last year due to a malware called Alureon.

You may be hearing about a possible Internet blackout that could take place at 9:01 p.m. Sunday when a malware fix set up by the FBI expires.

A Yahoo news story about Alureon circulating on Facebook Sunday afternoon explains what's up.

Basically a malware work-around established by the FBI last year redirected thousands of computers to alternative servers to avoid an "Internet Doomsday." That work-around expires just after midnight Eastern time Monday.

The estimate on how many U.S. computers could be affected range from 43,000 to more than 60,000.

But it's easy to see whether or not this affects you. Just get your IP address (easiest way is to Google "What's my IP address") and enter that number into a box on the FBI's website.

Or, just go to this Domain Name Service (DNS) site, and it will do it for you. If you see a green box, you're supposedly going to be A-OK. If you see a red box, it will instruct you on how to fix the bug.

U.S. service providers such as AT&T reportedly have made temporary arrangements so their customers won't be affected, but if you are, there are links on the FBI's site about how to fix the problem.

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Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Julia March 6, 2013 at 06:21 pm
You cannot compare the behavior of a wild animal versus a domesticated animal.
david March 6, 2013 at 04:41 pm
No offense, but keep drinking the kool-aid. I don't think all pit bulls are dangerous anymore thanRead More I think great white sharks will get every surfer, but God knows when they bite the person being bitten is in grave trouble!
Californicated1 March 6, 2013 at 03:42 pm
Actually, Pit Bulls are one of the most well-behaved, well-trained dogs out there, to both theirRead More owners and their familes, if they are trained to be that way. Only drawback to Pits, though, is that they drool a lot, just like any other hunting dog out there. Back in 2009, there was a story in Berkeley about how a Pit Bull saved her owner's life in a house fire, and all anybody could see was that it was a Pit Bull and nothing more. If you train a dog to have a nice and sweet disposition, guess what, the dog will have a nice and sweet disposition. And if you train a dog to fight, maim and kill, guess what it's gonna do? Doesn't matter the breed. I've known Dachshunds who were mean and resorted to biting in an instant as I have known Pit Bulls who were nice--but slobbered a lot. And about the only reason that Pits have the reputation that they do out there is more to do with the viewpoint of the person who believes that all Pits are dangerous to begin with and that perhaps one of their other biases may be a work here, like they hate people whom they believe to be "trash" or "thugs" perhaps, but that's more an indication of their prejudice than their experience with these dogs or any other breed out there. I've known Springer Spaniels out there that started out as sweet dogs with nice dispositions, but as they aged and their brians atrophied into cancer, they turned into vicious dogs and had to be put down. Like people, dogs are individuals, too.