Peer to Peer file sharing software

There are a number of file sharing programs, including: Morpheus, Gator, MojoNation, Kaazaa, KaZaA or Gnutella.  These programs can be downloaded and installed on your computer to allow you to share files with other users within that 'network'.  A folder or directory can then be set up with selected files that you are willing to share with others in the network.  Likewise, you can search for particular files, such as MP3 music files, applications, movies, games or pornography that you would like to have.

The advantages of this system is that it eliminates the need for person-to-person contact to negotiate an exchange, making it much faster and able to happen any time of the day or night.  It offers a huge selection of files to choose from which are also easy to transfer to media such as a CD or MP3 player.  It is also very easy to use and essentially free.

The downside of file sharing
The person using the file sharing software must be very careful as to which files they accept or share with others.  Files can be mislabeled or can contain more than expected.  Sometimes pornography can be unexpectedly included in a music file.  Downloads may include malware (viruses, worms, Trojans and keystroke loggers), which makes a rigorous firewall essential.  How you configure the settings for this software is crucial, as it is not uncommon for people to unintentionally leave the full contents of their hard drive open to the Internet.

Some versions of Kazaa, Kazzaa or Gnutella and other file sharing programs themselves may have been modified and may contain Trojans or backdoors, which permit an attacker to compromise the system.

Many people using file sharing networks also contact each other using Instant Messenger services. This P2P-related chat activity presents the same risk of young people having contact with sexual predators as in other chatrooms, as well as the risk of spammers harvesting the email addresses of participants.

Another type of software, which is often bundled together with file sharing programs, is spyware which is installed deceptively to gather information about the user and the computer without their knowledge.  The type of information often gathered includes personal Internet usage and the monitoring of keyboard strokes including passwords.

Finally, there is the reality of copyright infringement in downloading material that is someone else's intellectual property and may be copyrighted.  There may be an attitude that if it's on the Net it must be free, but the legal reality in New Zealand of such infringement is quite serious and the financial penalties if caught can be severe.  There are now a growing number of websites legitimately offering copyrighted music at very reasonable prices to help counteract this trend of infringement.

For more in-depth knowledge about Peer-to-Peer networks and file sharing take a look at the following link:
http://www.sans.org/rr/papers/50/510.pdf

A case study
A computer security expert was asked by a family to assist them to repair their home computer, which no longer functioned. Whilst reviewing the computer, the tell-tale signs of KaZaA were found on the computer. Further discussion with the family's young son revealed that he was into computer games and was interested in sharing files with other like-minded people. It looked as though he had attempted to remove the KaZaA software, but had only partially managed to do so. At that point, alarms were going off in the expert's head.
An emergency set of anti-virus disks was created and operations commenced. It was very quickly apparent that the machine was infected with a number of viruses, which had renamed and infected a great deal of the program files within the computer. Over 700 files within the computer were infected. Fortunately, the anti-virus software quickly identified and repaired the damage. It took approximately two days to diagnose, repair and cleanse the machine in this particular case. A question left hanging in the air was how many other computers had the machine infected via the Internet using the file sharing program?

What other types of file sharing software are there?
The simple answer is, a great deal, and it is growing on a daily basis. Typical available software includes:
Alnet; bearShare; Blubster; BonziBuddy; DALnet; DirectConnet; DJNap; eDonkey2000; FileNavigator; Filetopia; Gator; Gnucleus; Gnut; Gnutella; Groikster; iMesh; Liberalis.tk; LimeWire; Mactella: Madster; MediaGrab; MojoNation; Morpheus; MP3Fiend; Necessary Evil; Newtella; OhaOpenNap; Open World; Dareaza; Song Exchange; SongSpy; SonikNap; Douseek; Toadnode; Tripnosis; Undernet; WinMX and XoloX and many. many more.

How can you tell if P2P is on your computer?
You can check in the Task Manager of Windows XP (enter Ctrl - Alt delete) and look in the 'process table' to see what your system is currently running. If you identify one of the programs listed as a file sharing application, you may wish to remove it.  That is not always easy to do.  If you are not adept with such operations, it is best to have it done by a computer professional.  At the same time, have the computer thoroughly checked for malware and spyware that may have been inadvertently installed with the peer-to-peer.

Removing file sharing software
This first link shows a typical application which removes the file sharing application automatically:
http://www.noadware.net/?hop=czaritsa.noadware

Alternatively, use a well known tool such as PestPatrol, which can be downloaded free. If one subscribes, updates to the software are provided.
http://www.pestpatrol.com/

TerminatorX removes a number of spyware tools:
http://www.plevna.f9.co.uk/

Prevention is easier than the cure
The fact that file sharing software can compromise your computer is a good reason to set up individual accounts for others using your computer, and reserving the administrator rights for yourself.  This way no one else can install software without your knowledge.  Prevention is far easier than the cure in this case.

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