What is Peer-to-Peer file sharing and why should you be careful?
Published May 13, 2008
What is peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and is it all illegal content that is being shared?
Connect one computer to another - say in a home network - and you can easily transfer a file. That's peer-to-peer file sharing, it's simply one computer sending information to another. The reason for the name is that neither machine is a server tasked with sharing files among a group of users - that is, all P2P machines are just normal user's machines - or peers.
So, in a large P2P network each machine sends information to the other machines and so each machine will have files downloaded and files to be downloaded but which are not yet complete. The trick is to get a machine with already downloaded content to send the file (or part of it) to another machine to help complete their download. At any time, if you take a snapshot, there will be lots of downloads and uploads from all the machines in the network taking place simultaneously.
So, if one machine goes down (or is turned off), there are plenty of others to carry on sending files. In a server network, if the server goes down then, as we all know, the flow of information stops until the server is back online. So, a P2P network is a little like the internet in miniature.
Like any system, it can be used for many purposes and, yes, some can be illegal
Like any system, it can be used for many purposes and, yes, some can be illegal. But some can be perfectly legitimate, too, like the iPlayer from the BBC which uses this technology. The BBC system is based on a P2P program called 'Kontiki' which is currently also used by Sky and was used by the Open University some years ago.
The BBC iPlayer is a popular service requiring enormous bandwidth and to send TV programs from a central server would require impressive hardware. Yet, by using P2P, it is possible to do it with much less resources and make a much easier job of it, too.
But, if you have all manner of unknown people connecting to your computer, surely there must be security implications?
Yes, there certainly are! Any computer connected to a P2P network can be compromised by hackers who can download trojans, viruses and any other malware to it. That said, the BBC (we hope) control who uses their system and so the risk is a small one. Keep your antivirus up to date and you should be no less safe than you are surfing.
However, with other P2P file and music sharing sites the situation is not so pleasant and malware can, and does, infect these systems. As ever, our advice is to exercise caution, be aware of the risks and make very sure you have completely up to date antivirus and antispyware.
More from Security Online
In these days of economic turmoil, email phishing attacks are on the increase so learn what to look for and how to protect yourself with our quick and easy guide
Be on your guard! A new and extremely clever malware program has appeared and needs to be stopped - read this article and be safe!
We all know the importance of passwords but do you understand the different levels of security which can mean that some passwords can be made much easier to remember and use
A recent survey has amazingly discovered that we often deliberately lay ourselves open to a virus attack. We examine some of the issues and suggest an alternative approach to online security
Imagine a virus attack, hardware malfunction or theft that results in losing the entire content of your hard disk. It can be one of the worst and most traumatic things that can happen so start now and protect yourself by storing your data in the cloud
It happens to us all at some time - we get caught! Find out what to do if it happens to you and how to tell if that email you just got is a phishing email or not
Add a Comment
Please be civil.