p2p programs and alternatives

[hello2007]

people say that using programs like limwire or kazaa are dangerous and if you want to download a file of the net you should just google it. I dont see any difference in googling or downloading of limewire. Whats the difference, why is limewire more dangerous, afterall downloading through limewire or through google is the same thing isnt it, your downloading unknown files that someone uploaded on the internet so why is limewire more dangerous

[exile360]

If you download a file from its source (ie the software vendor, whose site will generally show up towards the top of the google links) it is safer than getting it from a P2P program. The risk factor of P2P really has to do with piracy, most of the programs you'd download through Kazaa, LimeWire, BitTorrent etc are "cracked" versions that allow you to use software that isn't supposed to be free without paying for it.

You have to remember though, not all is as it seems and usually things that seem too good to be true are. Often these cracked versions and/or the keygens that often accompany them are infected with malware, particularly if you're talking about system software like Windows or antivirus. Malware makers will conceal trojans and/or backdoors to allow them free access to your system once you install the cracked version.

[srtools1980y]

I hope the foll. Links will make you clear:

www.buzzle.com/articles/the-dangers-of-p2p-networks.html

www.roseindia.net/community/spyware/dangers_of_peer_to_peer_systems.shtml

[exile360]

You can also review this pinned topic from MalWareRemoval.com (the site I'm training at to become a malware fighter) regarding the use of P2P software. They state pretty clearly the risks involved.

[hello2007]

i see what your saying and agree your prone to get infected if your going to download stuff like that but let me be more clear. I will use limewire if i installed it for just songs of artists that aren't popular and are hard to find their music if you manually searched it site by site untill you found it.

Its also a drag to search it through google compared to letting limewire do the work for you(sure limewire might not have it but most likely they do), not only that but their music isn't even copywrited. So wouldn't the risk be the same in my case if i was downloading from limewire compared to using google and looking up site after site which would be a drag? because if its the same risk then, then i see no reason in manually searching for songs from google. Let me know if im missing something here

[exile360]

I will use limewire if i installed it for just songs of artists that aren't popular and are hard to find their music if you manually searched it site by site untill you found it.

When searching for free (and I'm assuming copyrighted) music on the web by any means you're prone to find infections, whether the source be links in google or P2P.

not only that but their music isn't even copywrited.

If you're talking about music that isn't copyrighted or is available freely then I'd still only trust the actual band's website as a source for it. Many indy bands do this to become more well known (offer their music for free), but again, LimeWire and other such tools carry risks that go well beyond "what" you're downloading. They open a doorway into your machine from other machines and if you're using it, it's passing through your firewall as well, leaving you pretty much defenseless against a hacker who knows what they're doing. The risk also changes with P2P because people will often modify an MP3 to include executable code, so you get the song, you listen to the song, then you're infected. They will also mislabel things to convince you that it's what you're looking for and before you know it all you've gotten was a trojan exe, disguised as an MP3 by a custom icon and a fake double file extension. I know I'm listing the worst case scenarios here, but they do happen.

[mountaintree16]

Thanks for posting that pinned topic link, Exile, going to read it now

Edit: Excellent information there, and I learned something new too!

[mountaintree16]

@ Exile

Isn't it ironic that people would illegally download a pirated AV?

[exile360]

Downloading pirated software, particulary security software and operating systems, is one of the most idiotic things a person can do. They are more often than not already infected themselves and/or altered to leave open doors into the user's system such as backdoors, trojans or other such alterations that can leave you vulnerable without realizing it. The worst part is, many of these "backdoors" they use in these types of situations aren't actual infections, just alterations or disabled features, something that even other security scanners won't be able to detect . I've even seen cases where a pirated OS contained an MBR rootkit, meaning every time you use it to format a drive and install it, the low level rootkit comes right along with it .