Well, if you’re reading this yours is not one of the hundreds of thousands of computers infected with an aggressive virus called DNSChanger. The spread of this virus led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to shut down several servers to head the virus off at the pass. Turning off those servers knocked all of the computers still infected with the virus offline.
“Source: NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Over the past five years, a group of six Estonian cybercriminals infected about 4 million computers around the world with DNSChanger. The malware redirected infected users’ Web searches to spoofed sites with malicious advertisements.
In November 2011, the FBI and some overseas partners arrested those responsible, commandeered their servers, and attempted to warn those affected to get rid of the virus.”
Read the entire article about Monday’s Internet Blackout (7/9/2012)
Intellectual Property Watch reports that at the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) diplomatic conference on 9-10 August in Swakopmund, Namibia, the protocol on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Expressions of Folklore was signed by nine states. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) applauded the effort. However, the move is not without controversy. IP Watch notes that “a United Nations report launched in January warned against the application of western legal and economic principles to collectively owned knowledge in traditional communities.” Click on the link for more information.