Billy Ripple Dr. Oblitey COSC

 File-Sharing ◦ What is it? ◦ Uses ◦ History ◦ Types ◦ Dangers  Case Study  Summary  Works Cited

 File Sharing ◦ The practice of transmitting files from one computer to another ◦ Data can be transferred(shared) from computer to computer through many different processes ◦ The topic of file-sharing can be very controversial ◦ Originally created to help people move data across computer networks at amazing speeds

 To conveniently share files with friends, family, and even customers  To create virtual back-ups of important files  Saves on disk space  To allow multiple people to work on one project  To allow a large number of users to access a file as though it were on their local machine  And much more!

 The very beginning of file-sharing consisted of punched tape, punched cards, magnetic tape, and cassette tapes  The early days that started to make file-sharing more popular was the sharing of floppy disks that had a 79.7 kB storage capacity in the early 1970s  In the 1990s file-sharing through file transfer protocols took off and of course the World Wide Web

 The mid-to late 90s were ruled by instant messaging and  The late 1990s was when Napster, a file- sharing software that used a peer-to-peer network to share strictly music, took off  In 2001 BitTorrent was created. This used a peer-to-peer connection but allowed the sharing of many different types of files  File-sharing through cloud storage has recently became popular

 Physical Sharing  P2P (Peer-to-Peer)  FTP (File Transfer Protocol)  LAN (Local Area Networks)   Cloud storage  Social Media  Etc.

 Storage Devices ◦ USB flash drives, CD’s, Floppy Disks, etc.  Physically plugging a storage device into a computer to allow the files on that storage device to be shared with your computer  Most likely to have fastest download speeds

 This includes BitTorrent, uTorrent, LimeWire, Instant Messaging Programs  Most popular method for swapping large files on the internet, also most controversial  Most P2P file sharing systems do not use any central servers, but allow all computers on the network to function as a client and a server

 This includes several applications that can be downloaded via the internet (filezilla, efssoft, etc.)  FTP is an older method to share files. It is a standard internet protocol for transmitting files between computers on the internet  A FTP server holds all the files to be shared while remote computers running an FTP client can log into the server and obtain copies of the files

 Most Operating Systems contain built-in features for file-sharing (Windows, Mac OS, Linux)  A LAN supplies networking capability to a group of computers within a close proximity of each other  LAN is often used to share a file with several computers on the network without much effort

 This includes any client(Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)  systems use a client/server like FTP  A sender sends a file to a recipient  EX. Bob is the sender of an and Mary is the receiver  Bob sends an to Mary using his client, the must first go to Bob’s server, then to Mary’s server, then finally to Mary’s client where she will be able to view the message

 Storing data in “virtualized pools” of storage which are hosted by third parties (Google Drive, SkyDrive, DropBox, etc.)  Users upload their files to their “cloud drive” then users can share files on their drive with other members of their cloud storage providers  Information in “the cloud” is often kept in large datacenters

 A virtual community where people can interact (Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.)  Any file uploaded to a social media website that is visible to the public is considered file- sharing  This is another controversial method of file- sharing

 No file-sharing method is 100% safe  Although file-sharing has many advantages, it also has many disadvantages and dangers that come with it  Most of the time users do not recognize when their machine has been compromised

 Physical Sharing ◦ A USB Storage device can contain malicious software that can be downloaded simply by inserting the device into your machine  FTP ◦ When using an FTP connection, the data being transferred could “stray” to a remote computer and the remote, third-party computer, could download the data to their own computer  Social Media ◦ Social Media accounts run the risk exposing you to malicious attachments and downloads ◦ Also, whatever you upload to social media is there for ever and sensitive data might lead to possible threats

 LAN ◦ When you allow for your computers files to be shared, anybody on the same network as you can have access to your files  ◦ Certain attachments that are shared via can spread viruses or other malware ◦ s can be compromised without the knowledge of the user  Cloud Storage ◦ This poses three big dangers, Data Security, Data Loss, and inappropriate access by unauthorized users ◦ You are essentially giving somebody else control of the safety of your data

 P2P ◦ This is the most dangerous file sharing method ◦ Promotes little or no control over shared content ◦ All content in shared directories is available for download, including personal or private data ◦ P2P software often comes bundled with spyware ◦ Not only does it expose your computer to many security threats, it also exposes the user to possible legal issues  Allows users to share files that may be copyrighted  Users can download new music, movies, and more for free

 Nicole Bucci, daughter of Kathy and Tony Bucci, liked to download music using a common P2P software  The Bucci’s always saved a copy of their tax returns in the “My Documents” section of their computer  Using a search of “tax return” on a simple file-sharing website, their tax returns and their social security numbers could be found  Their tax return refund was stolen and wired to a different account

 P2P is the most dangerous type of file- sharing  Users MUST be cautious when sharing files  It is very easy to share sensitive data without knowing  Also, it is very easy to expose yourself to malicious items that are being shared with you  Only share and accept files with trusted users

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