[s-cars] RE: 1988 Trans Am footage -- BitTorrent

[Theodore Chen]

--- Lee Levitt <lee at wheelman.com> wrote:

> Bill writes:
> > 
> > I've seen good and bad reviews of BitTorrent. I, too, am a 
> > little leery of P2P (peer-to-peer) software, after one of the 
> > kids mucked up my computer with KaZaa. Color me skeptical.
> > 
> > "BitTorrent, the beloved file-sharing client and protocol 
> > that provides a way around bandwidth bottlenecks, has become 
> > the newest distribution vehicle for adware/spyware bundles.
> > Public peer-to-peer networks have always been associated with 
> > adware program distributions, but BitTorrent, the program 
> > created by Bram Cohen to offer a new approach to sharing 
> > digital files, has managed to avoid the stigma.
> > 
> > Not any more, anti-spyware advocates warn."
> 
> Thanks Bill. That's all I need to hear. It takes too freaking long to
> disinfect a computer. Just not worth it. I'll wait until the clip hits the
> Imax theaters!
> 
> Another listmember suggested a "sacrificial" computer, a standalone machine
> that has no access to the rest of my home network, for undertaking "risky"
> behavior. It's worth some consideration...and probably *more* once I get my
> iPod out of its box...

so, don't install the adware/spyware.

the torrent client is just a means for obtaining the file.
once you have the file, it is up to you to decide what to
do with it.  some files, like .wmv, have digital rights
management built in, and the windows media player provides
the ability to open a URL in a browser and execute files
(which i think is quite dangerous).  but it does require
the user to consent before running executable code.

the company referenced in the article bill mentioned is
seeding the internet with its adware-laced multimedia files,
which is quite annoying.  but you don't have to run them
once you get them.  if you try to play the file in your
media player, and it asks you for permission to download
something so it can play the file, it's very likely spyware.
click no, and delete the file.

there is nothing special about BitTorrent.  the problem
with kazaa was that the company was distributing a client
that had spyware built into it.  but if your client is
clean (such as kazaa lite, which was kazaa hacked to remove
all the spyware), then the risk comes from getting files
that ask you to install things.  .wmv files are very prone
to this.

in this case, somebody trustworthy from the s-car list has
given you a bittorrent metafile that enables you to get
the trans-am footage, and a number of list members have 
already viewed it and determined that it doesn't bundle any
spyware.  there isn't any risk here.  the only risk would
be the client, if you install one with spyware in it or if
it has a security hole in it.

-teddy


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