Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss

Embedded BitTorrent: 1 of 5

25 views
Skip to first unread message

Guy Macon

unread,
Jun 6, 2008, 2:05:31 PM6/6/08
to


Embedded BitTorrent: 1 of 5

Background: A client recently hired me to manage the development of an
Internet-enabled product. I can't reveal too many details, but it runs a
Embedded version of a popular Open Source OS, and needs to distribute
encrypted data between nodes. We have been looking into the BitTorrent
protocol for this. I have used BitTorrent many times to download Linux
distributions, but never really dug unto the details before.

While researching the possibility of using BitTorrent (See _BitTorrent SDK
for Devices_ at http://www.bittorrent.com/devices/sdk/ ), I ran into some
interesting information about attacks on BitTorrent P2P file distribution
by MediaDefender / ArtistDirect, an anti-P2P (Peer to Peer Filesharing)
contractor that is hired by major record labels and movie studios,
supposedly to help prevent piracy of the client's copyrighted materials on
BitTorrent networks.

Alas, it appears that MediaDefender attacks *all* BitTorrent users,
potentially including my client. They attempt to insert bogus information
so as to poison the BitTorrent networks, and they launch massive denial of
service attacks on networks that attempt to block them from doing this --
even legitimate networks that are not in any way involved in piracy.

We are still going with BitTorrent, but we are also looking at various
countermeasures and redundant backup methods to move our data in case we
have similar problems -- or in case MediaDefender / ArtistDirect comes up
with new ways to illegally screw with legitimate BitTorrent uses.

The following series of posts gives details of the attack. If you have no
interest in Embedded BitTorrent, you might wish to skip the rest of this
series of posts.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>
Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/> Guy Macon <http://www.GuyMacon.com/>


0 new messages