Indictment Highlights File-Sharing Risks

Bomarc writes "Via the KOMO-TV website, an article from the Associated Press about how Gregory Thomas Kopiloff used Limewire, Soulseek and other peer-to-peer file-sharing programs to troll other computers for financial information, which he used to open credit cards for an online shopping spree, according to a four-count indictment unsealed in US District Court on Thursday. The news article isn't big on details, but it does outline the risks with peer-to-peer file-sharing programs."

Filesharing isn't a risk

[Anonymous Coward]

however poorly configured software is, wether its MSIE or OpenSSH or SMB if they are poorly configured you will get bitten

anyway this smells like another "OMG p2p teh evill!!!" anti-p2p propaganda

Well if you going share C:\ expect bad things.

[woodchip]

(n/t) DUH.

It outlines something...

[Anonymous Coward]

But not the risk of file-sharing. It outlines the risk of not knowing what your doing. Same could be said about just about everything.

Re:Filesharing isn't a risk

[Apatharch]

however poorly configured software is, wether its MSIE or OpenSSH or SMB if they are poorly configured you will get bitten

anyway this smells like another "OMG p2p teh evill!!!" anti-p2p propaganda

Precisely. Preventing personal data from leaking onto P2P networks is simply a matter of proper configuration of the client. As the summary states, there's very little detail in the article about how the information was actually accessed; all that would be required is a few pointers to help people prevent the sharing of sensitive files, but TFA seems to be following the fear-mongering route instead with quotes like "If you are running file-sharing software, you are giving criminals the keys to your computer".

And then, right at the end, we have:

Kopiloff also obtained some sensitive information the old-fashioned way, from associates who would steal mail or go "Dumpster diving" for discarded financial records, the indictment said, adding that he would open credit accounts and then go shopping online

Who wants to bet that a more significant proportion of the information came from that source?

P2P isn't the danger for your security

[Opportunist]

Cluelessness is. Plain and simple. Operating something that can potentially compromise your personal and private information without even having the foggiest idea what you're doing is stupid.

Unfortunately, exactly that conclusion is very hard to understand by stupid people.

Don't want to learn? No problem. Nobody is forced to be "on the internet". Nobody is being forced to put their private information into their computer. You can live without either.

But don't blame technology for your stupidity. Do you call your car dangerous and evil if you're too stupid to see the difference between the funny things down there that ruin your shoes (aka pedals)?

Just to get a car analogy into it again...