New swiss army knife-type tool called Phatbot will lead to new wave of spam and DDOS attacks with P2P-based shared resources.
By some estimates, hundreds of thousands of computers running Microsoft’s Windows operating system have already been infected worldwide. The tool, a program that security researchers have dubbed ‘Phatbot,’ allows its authors to gain control over computers and link them into P2P networks that can be used to send large amounts of spam e-mail messages or to flood Web sites with data in an attempt to knock them offline.
Content access, ddos, denial of service, Microsoft, P2P, shared resources, spam, Windows, zombie
Citing this article, in part:
Spanish developer Pablo Soto, whose Blubster and Piolet software have attracted several hundred thousand users, is taking a decidedly different tack. While including strong encryption and some privacy-enhancing features in a new version of the software expected to be released in the next few weeks, he’s also changing the way files are downloaded.
Information such as an MP3 song will still be downloaded from its original source, he said. But a song will be scrambled, and downloaded simply as raw, unintelligible data. This means that no actual copy of a song is being exchanged, he contends.
If downloaders want to turn that data into useable music, their software must seek elsewhere on the file-swapping network for the encryption ‘keys’ that will unlock the data, transforming it back into an MP3. Separating the download of the data and the keys may help protect file sharers from lawsuits, making it more difficult for courts to say exactly which party is responsible for copyright infringement, Soto said.
a mailing list member said:
This reminded me immediately of my favorite RISKS article, “The source of semantic content” (Gat, RISKS-16.87). Perhaps Gat’s questions “Has the law been broken? Who broke it?” will soon be tested in court.
Content copyright, courts, encryption, infringement, MP3, P2P
Ah, unintended consequences. Just as the long arm of the law helped support prohibition some years ago, a new form of speakeasy is now cropping up to assist information and file sharers, who are widely seen as being under attack.
Internet file-sharers are operating much like any society that falls under attack. And the very technologies they are using as shields have long been employed by legitimate businesses to protect their data from prying eyes and hackers.
‘The software that users are moving toward, it has characteristics that businesses need — which is a high degree of privacy, a high degree of security and the ability to handle large files,’ said Clay Shirky, a professor of interactive telecommunications at New York University.
Three years after the Recording Industry Association of America’s lawyers succeeded in shutting down the Napster file-trading service, the music industry’s jihad against unauthorized digital music distribution is reaping an unintended consequence: better, easier-to-use software for exchanging data securely — and even anonymously — on the Internet.
‘Thanks to the RIAA, ease of use surrounding encryption technologies, which was never a big deal before, is a big deal now,’ Shirky said.
Content anonymous, encryption, file sharing, knowledge management, P2P, privacy, RIAA, security
Under the aegis of preventing illegal use of commercial media, IBM announced new plans called extensible Content Protection (xCP).
xCP includes encryption software that allows media providers to give consumers the right to, for example, watch a movie on a DVD player and any other xCP-compliant device on that consumer’s home network. The software will let media companies protect their intellectual property and be simple enough for consumers to use, according to IBM.
Such safeguards will allow the media and entertainment industry to develop viable business models for content distribution, which at this point are lacking, said Steve Canepa, vice president of strategy for IBM’s media and entertainment industry.
“The ground we’re trying to get to is to maybe take the focus off rights specifications for control and limitation in what can be done with content and to change the focus to self-enablement and a new user experience,” Canepa said.
Sure, take me, I’m yours. I’m only a consumer, after all.
Content copy protection, distribution, DRM, P2P
A lot of coverage on the court’s order that Verizon to hand over a subscriber’s name–someone who had made some music files available over a file sharing network. I like Wired’s coverage:
“The court should not open the door for anyone who makes a mere allegation of copyright infringement to gain complete access to private subscriber information without due process of law,” said Mike Lamb, AT&T’s chief privacy officer, in a statement.
“The statute at issue requires ISPs to disclose the identity of subscribers expeditiously in response to a subpoena issued by a court clerk,” he added. “Such extraordinary disclosure obligations should be construed narrowly to afford subscribers the opportunity to challenge the requested disclosure.” …
“This is not a debate about privacy, it’s about piracy and the 2.6 billion illegal downloads each month,” the spokesman said. “To suggest that an Internet user’s privacy is more at risk because of this decision is a red herring. Verizon never argued it in the case and there is no First Amendment protection for committing a federal crime.”
Framing the debate as privacy vs. piracy helps illustrate that it’s all about who’s in control.
Content, Identity copyright, disclosure, file sharing, ISP, P2P, piracy, Policy, priorities, privacy, RIAA
This was from a while ago but must be mentioned here. Seems cable (and DSL) providers don’t like file sharing, and are implementing price-and-service models to (how shall I say) discourage the practice.
A host of cable companies, including AT&T Broadband (T), Charter Communications (CHTR), and Cox Communications (COX), are moving away from the old flat-fee pricing scheme that allowed users to download and transmit endless amounts of data (especially music, movies, and software) over high-speed connections. Instead, they’re rolling out new pricing schemes that could put limits on bandwidth usage per month and charge users additional fees if they go above the limit. …
These new pricing models could be serious trouble for the still-growing peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing movement, which is inextricably linked to cheap bandwidth. Indeed, the cable companies just might accomplish what the entertainment industries — with their high-pressure legal tactics, copy-protected CDs and DVDs, and aggressive lobbying campaigns in Washington — have failed to do.
This quote is from a BusinessWeek article, “Will Cable Unplug the File Swappers?” from June 2002.
Content, Network broadband, cable, controls, file swapping, ISPs, P2P