Malware in BitTorrent Downloads
BitTorrent, the cool new thing in intellectual property theft, appears to be suffering from an infestation of malware. According to a CNet News article, the anti-malware maker Sunbelt Software has discovered that music and video files retrieved through BitTorrent’s decentralized file sharing system, were in fact infected with multiple types of malware.
In one case, an episode of the Fox TV show “Family Guy” was bundled with several pieces of known adware, according to Boyd. “Under that kind of load, a midrange PC can easily go under,” Boyd said. Both spyware and adware are known to hurt PC performance because they use PC resources to run.
So if you’re a BitTorrent user, be on the look-out. Personally, I think that if you get infected from willfully using a product like Kazaa, Morpheus, or now BitTorrent, it’s really just a case of “lying with dogs, arising with fleas,” and you’re getting what you deserve. But your mileage may vary. :-P
June 23rd, 2005 at 4:45 am
Just wanted to point out what John Dvorak has already commented on in his 6/20/05 article on PCMag.com (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1829684,00.asp). You’re painting a legitimate file distribution service with a broad brush, lumping in all the Linux users who require it with those who abuse the service. Furthermore, the article you cite has already been discredited as Microsoft propaganda. I strongly advise you to read the PCMag article, and to use greater discretion in citing unsupportable evidence.
June 23rd, 2005 at 11:06 am
Thanks for the comment. A couple of responses. First, as to “Linux users who require it”… Who “requires” an illegal copy of last week’s “Family Guy” — regardless of your OS? I wasn’t aware that much malware affected Linux boxen anyway. But still, my point is that the technology is tailor-made for intellectual property theft. I suppose malware could infect files distributed via FTP, too. But BitTorrent still seems to be all about the theft.
Second, my article was posted four days before Dvorak’s article, so I really couldn’t have taken it into consideration when I posted the article. But having read Dvorak’s piece, he relies — by his own admission — on vague coincidences and “well, they’re out to kill it anyway because they don’t own it…” Puleeze. There’s plenty of evidence out there of Microsoft *actually* doing this in other areas, but reading tea leaves and jumping to conclusions isn’t the same as proof.
Meanwhile, nobody has yet disputed that malware vendors are indeed doing what has been claimed. Whether you like BitTorrent or not is beside the point. The point of my posting is that malware vendors are scum. :)