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Peer to peer file sharing – security risks

Michael Atherton 1201714409|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Peer to peer file sharing – security risks

Peer to peer file sharing can be very useful when sharing files between people. Networks like eMule allow users to share things that they have and get things from other uses which they want.

As most people are aware, it is rather important to have a firewall installed on your computer to protect yourself from any possible threats. When a user wishes to share their files and to access other peoples files on a peer to peer network such as BitTorrent, a specific TCP port through the firewall is required to be open. Although this allows for the exchanging of files between users, if the port is open a user becomes susceptible to malicious attacks

Another worrying concern is that when a user selects a file to download, for example, a .exe file, there is no way of knowing what the file actually contains. It could be a virus or a Trojan which could infect the user’s computer.

Although there are clear advantages of file sharing, it is important to pay particular attention when considering the security threats.

Reference: http://www.cdt.org/testimony/030515davidson.shtml

Peer to Peer Qtrax.

LeeRiley 1201630654|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Peer to Peer Qtrax.

Peer to Peer

At the midern conference in Cannes, the company Qtrax the add supported peer to peer website for music downloads said that it had come to an agreement with major record companies which allow it to offer free music downloads to the public. The song will be wrapped in Microsoft’s Windows Media subscription DRM; this means that the public will be able to download them to compatible players. Qtrax have achieved this partnership by giving almost all the profits made from advertising on the site to the record companies involved. It is seen as a step forward in Peer to Peer file sharing as with people users now being in there second generation it seems the problem of people doing it illegally is unlikely to go away

Reference

Cancan. [Online] Major Labels allow Peer to Peer music sharing on Qtrax. [Cited Online 28th/01/2008]. <http://vip-slander.blogspot.com/2008/01/major-labels-allow-p2p-music-sharing-on.html>

Copyright laws affecting p2p file sharing

Pre 1201564059|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Copyright laws affecting p2p file sharing

Copyright is the reproduction and distribution of materials. Copyright materials are found everywhere around people, these include songs, movies, TV shows, photo’s, magazines and books. These are just a few things subjected to copyright protection.
Materials brought are very limited in the way the person can use them, for example the user can lend the original copy to a friend or family but is not allowed to give them a copy without the permission and even payment to the copyright holder. Copyright can also affect those who play instruments for example can play a recent song but can not perform in front of an audience without permission. Internet users are also bound to these rules, which are acceptable to make copies of music or movies for their personal use which they can transfer to their ipods or any other portable players, but aren’t allowed to give them to anybody else. Lastly users are not allowed to share files over a peer to peer system such as Limewire which gives access to these copyrighted files for personal use without paying for them or unless they have permission from the copyright owner. Users who use p2p file sharing are also at risk from downloading viruses or even sometimes downloading files which are not what they intended to download.

Currently the figures for file sharing has remained the same for nearly two years, this is mainly due to the amount of people who have ipods and the amount of people who tend to use itunes to download their music legally which are pretty cheap and affordable.
According to The International Federation of the Phonographic Industries (IFPI), there are currently about 870 million songs available to download illegally over the internet.

References:

Stanford university - http://rescomp.stanford.edu/info/dmca/#copyright [online][cited 28/01/08]

BBC news - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4627368.stm [online][cited 28/01/08]

Other considerations.

markiemark81 1201354515|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Other considerations.

When considering peer-to peer architecture, it is important to take into account the traditional model on which most network communications and applications are based; that is client-server architecture.

In contrast to the peer-to-peer model where each network hosts both the client and server parts, Gallo and Hancock (1) describe the client-sever model as a “divided network transaction” whereby
1. The client side (or front end) provides a user with an interface for requesting services from the network, and
2. The server side (or back end) is responsible for accepting user requests for services and providing these servers transparent to the user
Gallo and Hancock (1)

According to Irving (2) the main difference between both architectures is that “client/server architectures require a dedicated server whereas, with peer-to-peer networks, there is no separate server and the work of the server is shared between the connected computers”.

Client-server architecture is supported by various network operating systems such as Novell, Microsoft in Windows NT and 2000 whilst peer-to-peer architecture uses any operating systems which support p2p including Windows 3.11, 95, 98, 2000 and XP.

Although peer-to-peer networking provides organisations with low-cost network solutions, Tannebaum (3) believes that client-server networking still provides organisations with almost all its network requirements.

Bibliography

(1) Gallo, M., and Hancock, W. Networking Explained. Woburn, Digital Press. 1999.
(2) Irving, P. Computer Networks. Exeter, Learning Matters Ltd. 2003.
(3) Tannebaum, A. Computer Networks. 4th edition. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall. 2003.

peer to peer networking in education

Callum9 1201203270|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » peer to peer networking in education

Are education institutes are now become mainly involved with IT, computing and the internet and this is at every level from primary school to university education. There are tools which are helping teachers teach through peer to peer web cam, e-mail, white broad, chat rooms and remote control software so they can access a users computer from there own computer and control the desktop, this can help by the teacher actual solve a problem or showing student what to do, with them both not in the same room, and this can be used to a multiple amount of people. This would be advantage to some people who have mobility problems and can not travel far e.g. school or university, this means teaching from home could be made a lot more efficient http://goliath.ecnext.com/.

Bibliography/References

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-1557241/Peer-to-peer-networking-collaboration.html
Discovering P2P, Micheal Miller, associate Publisher Neil Edde, United states of America 2001.

Peer to Peer File Sharing

suzannehaslam 1201192874|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Peer to Peer File Sharing

Advantages
The main advantage of sharing resources such as printers, files and faxes across a peer to peer network is the lower cost outlay. There is no expensive server to buy and maintain, and straightforward cat5 cables can be used to connect the inclusive machines. The network can be as small as just two computers that wish to share reserves, and as there is no expensive server hosting the network, then all usual server tasks are shared amongst the network members. All files can be distributed between the members speedily and efficiently as long as they all share the same network operating system. The file movement are unhindered as there is no upload and is fast due to the uncomplicated construction of this type of network.

Disadvantages
Peer to Peer networks however are small in size – “Microsoft recommends a maximum of ten machines” (Irving p13). Home and diminutive environments are the commonplace for this type of network, although if the organisation is of this size and the network topology suits them, then the set up is “fit for purpose”. Another possible menace is the security risk of sharing. As the network is easy to set up, and can be developed by a non IT literate person, then if the permissions are not correctly completed, then the full “wall” of protection may be created, and hackers may take advantage of an open window to secure information.

References

BBC Website [Online] [Cited 22nd January 2008] – Peer to Peer File Sharing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/4104827.stm

Irving, P. Computer Networks (2003) Exeter: Learning Matters

peer-to-peer involves sharing of information

idowu2004 1199984581|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » peer-to-peer involves sharing of information

PEER-TO-PEER WHY IT’S IMPORTANT?
Peer-to-peer networking is a low-cost method for connecting personal computers in situation where you want to share file and other resources such as printer. It doe not require a server. In peer-to-peer networking, the computers on the network function as peer. A peer computer basically acts as both a client and a sever computer. It includes Microsoft’s Windows NT and windows 95/98/2000, Apple’s Talk, Artisoft’s LANtastic, and Novell’s Personal Netware. Peer computers can access resources on the network, and they can supply resources to other peer computer. Peer-to-peer is also referred to as a workgroup. (Joe Habra ken Networking, 2004)
Why it’s important? Because;
Peer-to-peer networks are relatively inexpensive to purchase and operate.
They represent a cost-effective model for small organization or departments that want to enjoy some of the benefits of networking but do not have the require resources like: financial, human and equipment
They are fairly easy straightforward to configure.

Problems with P2P - personal experience

abwchiu 1199983831|%e %b %Y, %H:%M %Z|agohover
in discussion Hidden / Per page discussions » Problems with P2P - personal experience

When using P2P programs the problems lie in the sources, since the files are uploaded by the general public there is nothing to stop them from including malicious software imitating the real file.

I myself have downloaded files using P2P like limewire and bittorrent over the years and i have become more weary of what i download and the links that i use.

From experience Limewire contains many files renamed to imitate the file i am looking for or the files contains viruses and trojans which one time had me reformatting the computer. Bittorrent is the same also, i go to torrent file source sites and the amount of comments i see that says this file contains a virus or it contains a trojan do not download never ends or the file is fake it does not work after wasting hours downloading the file(s).

If you do engage in P2P software then i would recommend having a real good virus checker and spyware software even then some viruses cannot be eliminated using anti-virus software but require manual removal of the infected file in Windows safe mode which i unluckily had to do which i hope never have to do again.

Then there is the issue of piracy and illegal software usage, does using P2P software infringe on copyright laws?