Is the way the internet translates friendly URLs — such as ChristopherHedges.com into IP addresses (this website’s IP address is 208.109.149.107, for example) — that send people to websites threatened by a flaw that the bad guys can exploit?

The New York Times reports that IT people and ISPs are rushing to fix their DNS servers before the information about the exact problem is released to the public.

The potential consequences of the flaw are significant. It could allow a criminal to redirect Web traffic secretly, so that a person typing a bank’s actual Web address would be sent to an impostor site set up to steal the user’s name and password. The user might have no clue about the misdirection, and unconfirmed reports in the Web community indicate that attempted attacks are already under way.

One easy solution computer users can do for themselves right now if their ISP hasn’t responded to the threat is to switch to Open DNS, reports the New York Times.

Technorati Tags: computer security, internet, life online, Open DNS

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