DOOMSDAY

Virus Could Knock Thousands Offline

On Monday, experts warn.

Monday could be bad news for some Internet users. The FBI will be lifting a stopgap measure it implemented against the nasty DNSChanger virus back in November, and after it does infected computers may be unable to get online. While only 64,000 or so U.S. computers are expected to be hit, the incident, says experts, will serve as an important test-case in one of the primary safeguards against this sorts of attacks: the public-private partnership between the FCC and Internet service providers, many of whom have adopted voluntary countermeasures against this attack. Several Estonian citizens connected to the virus were arrested in November after a two-year investigation.