Given the general nature of our readers, I’m going to assume that the vast majority of you are already aware of this situation and have taken the appropriate precautions. But just in case you haven’t, or if you have less computer literate friends or family who might need a quick check-up, we’ll send out a brief warning. A relatively ancient computer bug will be making a comeback tomorrow, and if you’re not prepared, you may wake up and find that you’re unable to get on the web. First, the back story.

A computer virus exposed by the FBI last year could affect your access to the Internet starting Monday.

Agents arrested the people behind the virus in 2011. The malware was first detected about five years ago.

So why would this happen?

Well, the FBI set up a temporary fix to allow computer users to still have Internet access while trying to determine if their computer was infected with the so-called “DNS Changer” malware.

That temporary solution expires on Monday. So, if you haven’t checked for the malware yet, your computer may stop working properly.

They have a website set up now where you can do one quick, simple check to see if your system is infected. The URL is:

http://www.dns-ok.us/

When you go there you will immediately see one of two things. If you see the image below with a green background, you’re probably already in good shape and won’t have to worry on Monday.

However, if the image shows up with a red background then you may be infected and will need to take corrective action. On the odd chance that any of you are still running your systems without virus protection, you’ll need to get that taken care of today. (Though if you are, I’m amazed you can even load up and read Hot Gas.) There are plenty of good ones out there, but one free one which I used until upgrading to the pro version is Avast.

NOTE: I do not work for or receive any compensation from Avast, nor am I saying you should choose it over any other reputable product. It’s just one which I found to work pretty well (and for free if that’s a concern) and would recommend. There are many, many others out there and I’m sure the commenters can help out with their own suggestions.