by certifiedbug on November 19, 2008
in Security
Internet providers can pull the plug on botnets, even if it comes belatedly under pressure from the security community and newpaper articles. We have seen this with the recent take downs of Atrivo-Intercage, Est, McColo, where the bad stuff flowed from central servers.
Brian Krebs at The Washington Post, So Much Spam From One Place?
Vincent Weafer, director of development for Symantec Security Response, said the success of Storm, combined with so many criminal operations having been burned by the McColo takedown, strongly suggests botnets are going to continue adopting P2P technology.
That means decentralization.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) may get an earful.
Also at the Washington Post:
Answers Trickle Out as Spammer Networks Remain Compromised
by certifiedbug on October 4, 2008
in Programs
A new twist in the works.
ArtistDirect’s Picast offers peer-assisted video delivery, and subsidiary MediaDefender, acquired by ArtistDirect in 2005, is designed to prevent alleged copyright infringement using peer-to-peer distribution.
Apprantly having used tactics such as flooding peer-to-peer networks with decoy files.
Arstechnica, Revision3 CEO: Blackout caused by MediaDefender attack
Wired: MediaDefender Defends Revision3 SYN Attack
Then there was Miivi.com, a video sharing site MediaDefender launched in February 2007.
File-sharing news site TorrentFreak alleged that Miivi.com was created to trap users uploading copyrighted content.
http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-gang-launches-their-own-video-download-site-to-trap-people/
What is PiCast: http://picast.artistdirect.com/home.html
PiCast starts off with your existing Central Server or Content Delivery Network (CDN), so as to retain the stability, security, and control of a centralized infrastructure. However, once there are more than 2 simultaneous users, PiCast begins to coordinate a distributed ‘peer-cast’ environment, where each individual user is enabled as a peer, and begins to act as an additional source of the stream.
Ryan Lawler: MediaDefender Backs P2P Player PiCast
Certifiedbug, August 17, 2008. Spammers pose as MediaDefender
Arts+Labs is a collaboration between creators and innovators who regard the Internet as a vibrant town center where all consumers can safely choose from a vast array of digital products, entertainment and services. Because quality content drives the Internet, Arts+Labs and its founding members: AT&T, Viacom, NBC Universal, Cisco, Microsoft and the Songwriters Guild of America, also aims to ensure that artists, creators and innovators can safely share their works through new online distribution channels with confidence that their right to earn fair compensation for their creativity is respected.
http://blog.artsandlabs.com/2008/09/announcing-artslabs.html
“We certainly do not condone online theft of copyrighted materials. At the same time, we similarly do not favor the unwarranted intrusion into the Internet that this group promises for the future.”
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1760
Kenneth Doroshow, former executive at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA ), will join The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) as General Counsel in September 2008.
The ESA continues to attract and recruit the brightest individuals. Ken has remarkable expertise in the protection of intellectual property and an excellent understanding of the increasingly connected, dynamic, and innovative entertainment environment we live in,” said Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, which represents U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The computer and video game industry will be well-protected with Ken’s guidance and I know he will help facilitate our growth to even greater heights.
http://www.theesa.com/newsroom/release_detail.asp?releaseID=29
by certifiedbug on August 17, 2008
in Security
Spammers are using scare-tactics threatening recipients with interrupted Internet connectivity or legal action to entice users to open a malicious attachment. Of course you should not open it.
Screenshots: http://blog.trendmicro.com/
The spam pretends to be from MediaDefender, a controversial company offering services to prevent alleged copyright infringement using peer-to-peer (P2P) distribution.
As many people do use P2P to download illegal files, they may be aware of MediaDefender, and receiving such fake emails could cause an “OMGZ Busted” reaction causing them to click and get infected.
Revision3, an Internet television network, requested assistance from the FBI in May 2008 to investigate a denial of service attack. Revision3 blamed MediaDefender for the Ddos.
Ars Technica
by certifiedbug on March 14, 2008
in News
Hot on the heels of Piracy Surcharge on ISPs proposed by Music Industry
Verizon Communications Inc. has broken ranks with the industry and is set to announce Friday that it plans to help its users share files faster - at least those who do it legally.
With researchers at Yale University and a group of companies that make file-sharing software, Verizon collaborated to enable faster downloads for consumers and lower costs for participating ISPs.
CBS2
by certifiedbug on March 14, 2008
in News
The industry’s anti piracy efforts appear to be futile, failure to stop piracy by suing Internet users, digital rights management all but abandoned.
But wait, now the music industry is considering a file sharing surcharge, per user per month, that Internet Service Providers collect from users.
This would be used to compensate songwriters, performers, publishers and music labels. Rightly so, but… will Internet Service Providers be able to implement such a practice. There is sure to be a backlash especially from smaller providers on a tight budget. Think rural, ISP options are often sparse in the boonies, something city users may not be aware of with their countless Internet options and budget packages.
Like I have said before, piracy is not free, it costs us all. 
Discussion today at South by Southwest
Mobility, Ubiquity and Monetizing Music
Room 18ABC
Friday, March 14th
3:30 pm - 4:45 pm
by certifiedbug on December 4, 2006
in Security
From the spywareguide.com blog.
A while ago on the Spywareguide Blog, I covered a technique being used in Peer to Peer land involving URLs being embedded in Quicktime movies, which would then pop open a website. This has now been taken to the next level, with an intensive and seemingly never ending Phish attack, the sole aim of which seems to be directing end-users to a collection of Zango movies on a pornographic website.
Article
by certifiedbug on May 24, 2006
in News
Germany nabs 3,500 in file-sharer sweep
Investigators charge eDonkey network users with illegal music sharing
Info World
By Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service
May 23, 2006
German investigators charged 3,500 people with illegal music sharing, in the biggest single sweep of its kind, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said Tuesday.
German authorities helped identify the file sharers, who were using the eDonkey network to share thousands of music files. EDonkey software allows users to find and share files with other eDonkey users.
by certifiedbug on May 17, 2006
in Security
The Register
Vigilante malware
By John Leyden
Published Wednesday 17th May 2006 11:57 GMT
Virus writers have created a Trojan that deletes illicit files from compromised Windows PCs in addition to harvesting data from infected machines.
Erazer-A is spreading (albeit modestly) across P2P networks, where it poses as useful program files, or through chat programs.
If executed, the malware scours folders used for P2P apps for AVI, MP3, MPEG, WMV, GIF, ZIP and other files. It then erases any porn, warez, music or any other matching file type found in P2P directories before dropping copies of itself (using names such as names such as game.exe, goporn.exe, nero7.exe and officexpcrack.exe) in the shared folders of peer-to-peer (P2P) applications.
Erazer-A also turns off security applications running on the compromised machine. More information on the malware, and how to defend against it, can be found in an analysis by UK-based anti-virus firm Sophos here. ®
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