It has been almost 2 years since I last visited this topic, and to my amazement, this problem has grown to enormous proportions. Napster, Morpheus, Bearshare, Kazaa... Sound familiar? Well the originals are still available, but the new kids on the block that are really making a stir are Shareaza, iMesh, ZeroPaid, Xolox and then of course the Bit Torrent family. So I ask, "how many of you out there have installed peer-to-peer file sharing applications on your home or office computers?" Do you really know what you are doing when you install these "Free" programs? Admit it or not. You, I, and millions of others have utilized the Napster days or the modern Shareaza era for the benefit of "borrowing" music, video, software and many other data based mediums available. "To what end," I ask you? BEWARE! A snake in the grass looms. See below. Viruses, Worms and Trojans Yes it's true. You can contract various technical illnesses by downloading files, especially in a peer-to-peer environment where you have no clue where the file is actually coming from. Malicious code can easily piggy-back various file types and upon execution, install right into your PC or network. I have seen it happen. Right here in one of our local government offices, I witnessed a downloaded file spread through the network connection like wildfire. Luckily damage was limited due to somewhat of an anti-virus infrastructure. The worst factors are the data processing elements that you do not see. Malicious code comes in all manners. New clever code can be deposited on your system and go unseen for long periods of time. And if your anti-virus programs are not up to date, or your firewall systems are not secure enough, you better watch out. A simple Trojan horse can allow an intruder to access your entire network in a heartbeat. Spyware and Adware Oh my, these little bastards are causing more and more network destruction every day. Watch out for the freeware applications. More garbage gets installed on your PC when you setup Kazaa and other P2P apps than any other program types I have seen. Pop-up directors, sneakware applications like the GAIN, and still the number one pain in the ass, the "Hotbar" programs that promise to make your Internet experience more enjoyable, cause nothing but problems. Read the fine print ladies and gentlemen; know what you are doing when you do it. Sadly, I say, a good new virus, or spyware attack is great for business. I get paid to resolve your problems. The Big Truth I share this with you for your benefit and for your own good. If you install these applications wrong, you could be offering your livelihood to any number of hack attempts on your personal PC, your office network, and most importantly of all, your financial security. By default, some of these applications allow access to your "My Documents" folder. Some of you by accident make the "My Documents" folder your shared resource for file trading. I have even seen people open up their entire "C:" drive for the trade. What this means is, you are allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry out there access to all the data on your system and take whatever they damned well please. It is tax time people. Will your accountant send you your tax documents via e-mail? Do you file online? People out there search the P2P file sharing networks for suckers every day. Do a search on your Kazaa installation for 1040, 8283, tax, IRS, federal, income, tax return, tax document, financial statement, blah, blah, blah, money, money, money or anything of that kind and tell me what you find. Now try proposal, account, bank, or any other word that the novice computer user may title a confidential document left in the "My Documents" folder with a peer-to-peer file sharing application installed. Or maybe you don't even know you have a P2P file sharing application on your home office computer because your 11 year only son who is more computer savvy than you just had to download the new "Golddigger" mix by Kanye West with Jamie Fox in the background. Think about that for a second. Not to bring up a bunch of "What if's," but seriously, What if... Identity Theft is getting trendy. Do the search. I guarantee you will be amazed at what you find. A Rule for the Road: If you allow your children to play on your home office PC, be sure they do not accidentally jeopardize your confidential files by installing free software. |
