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index format is changed to incorporate a digital signature. A peer authentication protocol can then establish the legitimacy of a peer when she downloads and uploads files. Using identity based signatures, the system enables each peer to identify infringing users without the need for communication with a central authority. The protocol then sends poisoned chunks to these detected users requesting a copyright protected file only. If all legitimate users simply deny download requests from known infringers, the latter can usually accumulate clean chunks from colluders (paid peers who share content with others without authorization). However, this method of content poisoning forces illegitimate users to discard even clean chunks, prolonging their download time.
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from finding the correct resource. Invalid information could include random content identifiers or fake IP addresses and port numbers. When a user attempts to download the corrupted content, the server will fail to establish a connection due to the large volume of invalid information. Users will then waste time trying to establish a connection with bogus users thus increasing the average time it takes to download the file. The index poisoning attack requires less bandwidth and server resources than decoy insertion. Furthermore, the attacker does not have to transfer files nor respond to requests. For this reason, index poisoning requires less effort than other methods of attack.
59:). In order to entice users to download the decoys, malicious users may make the corrupted file available via high bandwidth connections. This method consumes a large amount of computing resources since the malicious server must respond to a large quantity of requests. As a result, queries return principally corrupted copies such as a blank file or executable files infected with a virus. There were known cases when a company had created a special version of a game and published it on file sharing services (e.g.
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of your data". as well as claiming that their approach was 99% effective. Despite these claims, the algorithm has not yet been tested with BitTorrent. A group of
Finnish musicians requested an investigation into the company, arguing that their software was effectively a virus and was in violation of Finnish law. The investigation was declined by Finnish police, and later by the Finnish parliamentary
301:, anti-infringement vigilantes have been known to create viruses that are distributed exclusively via P2P networks, and are designed to attack mp3s and other music files stored on a user's PC. The Nopir-B worm, which originated in France, poses as a DVD copying program and deletes all the mp3 files on a user's computer, regardless of whether or not they were legally obtained.
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the whole network for the targeted peer, they can manipulate them in a number of ways. For example, the attacker can specify which search results are returned. The attacker can also modify file comments. The peer's requests can also be directed back into the network by the attacker and can also be modified. It also checks data randomly for any errors found in that.
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There are several reasons why content providers and copyright holders may not choose torrent poisoning as a method for guarding their content. First, before injecting decoys, content providers have to normally monitor the BitTorrent network for signs that their content is being illegally shared (this
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conducted public hearings in response to the allegations. Comcast argued that it was regulating network traffic to enable reasonable downloading times for the majority of users. On 21 August 2008 the FCC issued an order which stated that
Comcast's network management was unreasonable and that Comcast
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message, followed by a message advertising that they have a number of available chunks. Not only does the attacker never provide any chunks, they also repeatedly resend the handshake and message. These attacks prevent downloads as, essentially, the peer wastes time dealing with the attacker, instead
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The eclipse attack (also known as routing-table poisoning), instead of poisoning the network, targets requesting peers directly. In this attack, the attacker takes over the peer's routing table so that they are unable to communicate with any other peer except the attacker. As the attacker replicates
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claimed that their software, which uses a similar approach to spoofing, could be used to bring an end to illegal P2P file sharing. The firm offered "total blocking of peer 2 peer sharing for your intellectual property" and claimed that its "patented virtual algorithm blocks out all illegal swapping
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This method targets the index found in P2P file sharing systems. The index allows users to locate the IP addresses of desired content. Thus, this method of attack makes searching difficult for network users. The attacker inserts a large amount of invalid information into the index to prevent users
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Instead, the aim of content providers is to make illegal downloads statistically less likely to be clean and complete, in the hope that users will be discouraged from illegally downloading copyright material. Content providers and copyright holders may decide that the financial outlay is not worth
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Selective content poisoning (also known as proactive or discriminatory content poisoning) attempts to detect copyright violators while allowing legitimate users to continue to enjoy the service provided by an open P2P network. The protocol identifies a peer with its endpoint address while the file
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are theoretical systems where users pay a subscription fee for access to a file-sharing network, and are able to legally download and distribute copyright content. Selective content poisoning could potentially be used here to limit access to legitimate and subscribed users, by providing poisoned
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Decoy insertion (or content pollution) is a method by which corrupted versions of a particular file are inserted into the network. This deters users from finding an uncorrupted version and also increases distribution of the corrupted file. A malicious user pollutes the file by converting it into
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was an early example of content poisoning. Before the release of the album, tracks that appeared to be of similar length and file size to the real album tracks were leaked by the singer's record label. The tracks featured only a clip of
Madonna saying "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
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proposed the Peer To Peer Piracy
Prevention Act, which would have granted immunity to copyright holders for taking steps to prevent the illegal distribution of their content (i.e. poisoning activities) on P2P networks, as long as they did not go as far as to harm the files stored on a P2P user's
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In this attack, the attacker joins the targeted swarm and establishes connections with many peers. However, the attacker never provides any chunks (authentic or otherwise) to the peers. A common version of this attack is the "chatty peer" attack. The attacker establishes connection with targeted
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has written their own program which directs users to non-existent locations via bogus search results. As users typically select one of the top five search results only, this method requires users to persevere beyond their initial failed attempts to locate the desired file. The idea is that many
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released a number of tracks online in 2000 that appeared to be legitimate copies of tracks from the band's latest album. Each file contained a short sample of the song, followed by a clip of a band member saying, "Although you thought you were downloading our new single, what you were actually
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The methods of attack described above are not particularly effective on their own, as for each measure effective countermeasures have evolved. These measures must be combined in order to have a significant impact on illegal peer-to-peer filesharing using BitTorrent protocols and
Torrent files.
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This process can be expensive and time-consuming. As a result, most poisoning is only continued for the first few months following a leak or release. Second, it is also unlikely that torrent poisoning can be successful in disrupting every illegal download.
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This method of attack prevents distributors from serving users and thus slows P2P file sharing. The attacker's servers constantly connect to the desired file, which floods the provider's upstream bandwidth and prevents other users from downloading the file.
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On private tracker websites, where all posted torrents can be traced to a particular member, poisoned torrents can be quickly labeled and deleted and the poster can be banned, preventing further introduction of poisoned torrents by that
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must terminate the use of its discriminatory network management by the end of the year. Comcast complied with the order and appealed. On 6 June 2010, the
District Court of Appeals for the Columbia vacated the FCC order in
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BitTorrent is highly resistant to content poisoning (as opposed to index poisoning), as it is able to verify individual file chunks. Overall, BitTorrent is one of the most resistant P2P filesharing methods to
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In some jurisdictions, there were concerns that content providers and copyright holders engaging in poisoning activities may be held liable for damages to users' computers. In the US in 2002, Representative
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Public torrent tracker sites have enabled the ability to report if a torrent has been poisoned (or is fake or malicious in any way). Thus torrent files shared by public trackers can have similar levels of
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33 Sw. U. L. Rev. 397 (2003-2004). The Piracy
Prevention Bill, H.R. 5211: The Second Generation's Answer to Copyright Infringement over Peer-to-Peer Networks. Pesta, Kristine
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Tracker technology (as well as BitTorrent client programs) has improved over time, and many kinds of spoofing that were possible in the past are no longer possible.
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of "hindering" P2P file sharing traffic. Tests conducted by AP have shown that
Comcast hindered the uploading of complete files to BitTorrent. The
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was uploaded online, it became a hit on P2P websites such as Pirate Bay. MediaDefender was hired to poison torrents using decoy insertion.
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Some companies that disrupt P2P file sharing on behalf of content providers create their own software in order to launch attacks.
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and others, claiming that their spoofing services violated Altnet's patent for a file identification method called TrueNames.
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The Truth About the Peer to Peer Piracy
Prevention Act: Why Copyright Owner Self-Help Must Be Part Of The P2P Piracy Solution
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63:) advertising it as cracked, having undocumented hidden functionality, making it impossible to win this variant of the game.
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After pirates steal "Sicko," Weinsteins deploy decoys; people hunting for new Moore movie might find advertising instead
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Proceedings of the 6th
International Conference on emerging Networking EXperiments and Technologies (ACM CoNEXT 2010)
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another format that is indistinguishable from uncorrupted files (e.g. it may have similar or same
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An Effective Early Warning Scheme against Pollution Dissemination for Bittorrent
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Adaptive Content Poisoning To Prevent Illegal File Distribution in P2P Networks
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content to non-subscribed users who attempt to illegitimately use the network.
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The BitTorrent protocol uses TCP exclusively, but the newer, widely supported
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by providing chunks of garbage data to users. HBO were also reported to have
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includes watching for variations of files and files in compressed formats).
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A Better Way Forward: Voluntary Collective Licensing of Music File Sharing
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The 2nd International Conference on Computer and Automation Engineering
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29:. This practice of uploading fake torrents is sometimes carried out by
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In 2005, it was reported that HBO was poisoning torrents of its show
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Nopir worm fights pirates by wiping MP3 music files, Sophos reports
308:(AP) released information accusing the broadband service provider
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Is Content Publishing in BitTorrent Altruistic or Profit-Driven?
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which is less frequently targeted by man-in-the-middle attacks.
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Collusive Piracy Prevention in P2P Content Delivery Networks
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users will simply give up their search through frustration.
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computer. However, the bill died later in 2002 when the
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Integrated Copyright Protection in Peer-to-Peer Networks
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Choking Polluters in Bittorrent File Sharing Communities
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or data with misleading, deceiving file names using the
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Network Operations and Management Symposium (NOMS) 2010
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After an unauthorized copy of Michael Moore's movie
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downloading is an advertisement for our new album.”
373:. Philadelphia, USA. 30 November - 3 December 2010.
213:In 2005 the Finnish anti-infringement organisation
266:Although not targeted specifically at BitTorrent,
694:Slyck News - Claim to End 99% of Illegal Trading
485:Peer-to-peer poisoners: A tour of MediaDefender
867:. 18 June 2007. p. 3. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
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33:organisations as an attempt to prevent the
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37:of copyrighted content, and to gather the
573:. Toronto, Canada. 22–29 June 2007. p. 28
204:Recording Industry Association of America
898:Consumer groups ask FCC to fine Comcast
759:. 115 (20). p. 7. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
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558:Lou, X., Hwang, K. and Zhou, R. (2007)
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788:. O'Reilly Radar. Retrieved 2011-03-31
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597:. Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 195-206.
595:Distributed Computing and Networking
202:In September 2004, Altnet sued the
137:of downloading chunks from others.
819:Hacked: Madonna's Web Site Defaced
413:A Study of Pollution on Bittorrent
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314:Federal Communications Commission
154:the end result of their efforts.
619:Lou, X. & Hwang, K. (2006).
341:Privacy in file sharing networks
277:followed by minutes of silence.
799:Madonna swears at music pirates
547:Electronic Frontier Foundation
523:IEEE Transactions on Computers
107:Voluntary Collective Licensing
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658:Altnet Fights Back, Sues RIAA
510:Lou, X. and Hwang, K. (2009)
251:sent cease-and-desist letters
141:Barriers to torrent poisoning
593:. In: Kant, K. et al (eds).
331:Legal issues with BitTorrent
180:as Private Tracker websites.
852:Brodesser-Akner, C. (2007)
98:Selective content poisoning
978:
911:. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
753:Spoofing Continues To Grow
255:Internet service providers
35:peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing
962:Denial-of-service attacks
903:23 September 2020 at the
896:Associated Press. (2007)
641:Viralg Touts P2P Solution
584:Poisoning the Kad Network
582:Locher, T. et al. (2010)
358:Cuevas, R. et al. (2010)
336:Peer-to-peer file sharing
127:Uncooperative-peer attack
21:is intentionally sharing
817:The Smoking Gun (2003).
779:HBO Attacking BitTorrent
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534:von Lohmann, F. (2008)
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132:peers via the required
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483:Anderson, N. (2007).
454:Santos et al (2010).
206:, Overpeer, Loudeye,
883:23 June 2011 at the
859:14 July 2011 at the
837:Murray, B.H. (2004)
824:3 March 2016 at the
784:23 July 2008 at the
727:Berman, H.L. (2002)
699:10 June 2011 at the
319:Comcast Corp. v. FCC
299:Internet vigilantism
280:Similarly, the band
751:Garrity, B. (2003)
734:3 June 2011 at the
304:On 19 October 2007
190:protocol uses UDP,
27:BitTorrent protocol
692:Ingram, M. (2005)
656:Cowley, S. (2004)
490:5 May 2012 at the
382:Luo et al (2009).
239:High-profile cases
233:Congressional Term
797:BBC News (2003).
639:Bruno, A. (2005)
297:In an example of
178:quality assurance
45:Methods of attack
31:anti-infringement
19:Torrent poisoning
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325:See also
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57:metadata
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662:PCWorld
310:Comcast
268:Madonna
253:to the
717:Viralg
569:. In:
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