P2P File-sharing Crowd Sourced Malware Distribution

BitTorrent is a very well-known protocol for large files distribution over the internet and it’s used by every industry from Linux distributions to copyrighted software and also for more questionable uses. Loved and hated by many, it is today unquestionably part of the internet landscape. With over 300 million users swapping files via BitTorrent every month, according to startup Tru Optik, with little or no supervision or control, it has also became an important target for malware distribution, explored by criminals worldwide, making both users as well as organizations victims. In this session we will present a research done by AnubisNetworks Labs team that shows how Bittorrent is an infection vector used by malware creators to compromise machines at a global scale, with minimum effort. We will provide a historic view concerning the P2P Networks evolution from the early players such as E-Mule, Napster, Kazaa; highligh the Bittorrent protocol and how it works. The methodology used in this research unveiled which applications and operating systems are more vulnerable but more importantly which botnets are more common shipped with torrents and what type of risk they pose to users and organizations. KEY TAKEWAYS · Why P2P file sharing is a security risk to both users and organizations · How malware is disseminated using different type of applications · Most common types of malware shipped with torrents