Internet Doomsday simple fix rundown

Believe it or not, this so-called "Internet Doomsday" you've heard about over the past week or so is a real situation – but taking care of it on your own computer is not as terrifying as the name of the day suggests. The so-called virus is called DNSChanger, and thought the fear-mongering amongst us would have all collecting water and dry food for the oncoming electrical winter, there's not actually that much to worry about. In fact, according to several internet service providers across the country, nothing significant has even appeared on their grid as the day has progressed.

What you're going to want to do is two things if you're fearful that your computer may have been affected by this web devil. First, if you're reading this article from your computer, you have not been affected at all: the virus shuts your web off. If you still have internet, you're fine. Second, you'll want to check out the following video to get a grip on what this situation is all about – it's all very simple, really:

That video comes from the post entitled DNSChanger malware for dummies. There you'll find a bit more of an explanation, but for those of you really looking to read rather than watch, head to our DNSChanger guide to learn how to find it and how to fix it. For those of you reading this outside the country on your smartphone: remind yourself again that it's much more likely that your computer back home (wherever that may be) is not infected rather than infected.

"Since midnight last night, when the FBI (via the Internet Services Coalition) disconnected the servers associated with this botnet, we've only received a miniscule number of calls, but our customer care and security assurance teams are standing by and are ready to help," – Douglas

Charlie Douglas is the Comcast senior director of corporate communications and has assured MSNBC that there's nothing to worry about. The same is true of Verizon, AT&T, and COX, also speaking today saying that the effect of this situation is minimal and tiny, having little impact overall.

Check out the timeline below to learn more about DNSChanger and what it's done so far!