Lab - Researching Peer-to-Peer File Sharing
Objectives
Part 1: Identify P2P Networks, File
Sharing Protocols, and Applications
Part 2: Research P2P File Sharing
Issues
Part 3: Research P2P Copyright
Litigations
Background / Scenario
Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing is a
powerful technology that has many uses. P2P networks can be used to share and
exchange files, and other electronic materials.
The use of P2P networks to upload,
download, or share copyrighted material, such as movies, music, and software,
can violate the rights of copyright owners. In the P2P file-sharing context,
infringement may occur when one person purchases an authorized copy and then
uploads it to a P2P network to share with others. Both the individual who makes
the file available and those making copies may be found to have infringed the
rights of the copyright owners and may be violating copyright law.
Another problem with P2P file sharing is that
very little protection is in place to ensure that the files exchanged in these
networks are not malicious. P2P networks are an ideal medium for spreading
malware, such as computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, adware, and
other malicious programs.
In this lab, you will research available P2P
file sharing software and identify issues that can arise from the use of this
technology.
Required Resources
Device with Internet access
Part 1: Identify P2P Networks, File Sharing Protocols,
and Applications
In Part 1, you will research P2P networks
and identify popular P2P protocols and applications.
Step 1:
Define P2P networking.
a.
What is a P2P network?
____two or more computers connect over a network and share resources
without having a dedicated server________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
b.
Identify at least two
advantages that P2P provides over client-server architecture.
____ In P2P networks, clients provide resources, which may
include bandwidth, storage space, and computing power. This property is one of
the primary advantages of using P2P. As nodes arrive and demand on the system
increases, the total capacity of the system increases and the likelihood of
failure decreases. If one peer on the network fails to function properly, the
whole network is not compromised or damaged. In contrast, with a typical
client–server architecture, clients share their demands with the system but not
their resources. In this case, as more clients join the system, fewer resources
are available to serve each client. If the central server fails, the entire
network is taken down. The decentralized nature of P2P networks removes the
single point of failure that can be inherent in a client server based system. _____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
c.
Identify at least two
disadvantages of P2P networks.
______ A P2P network is decentralized, which makes it difficult
to administer. ______________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2:
Identify P2P file sharing protocols
and applications.
a.
Identify at least two P2P file
sharing protocols used today.
_ Ares, BitTorrent, Direct Connect, FastTrack, eDonkey,
Gnutella, MANOLITO/MP2PN
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
b.
Identify at least two popular
P2P file sharing applications available today.
Many Gnutella client applications are available, including gtk-gnutella,
WireShare, Shareaza, and Bearshare._____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
c.
What P2P file sharing protocol
is attributed to producing the most P2P traffic on the Internet today?
_____ most of the P2P traffic is likely from BitTorrent._
Today BitTorrent was utilized by 150
million active users______________________________________________________________________________
Part 2: Research P2P File Sharing Issues
In Part 2, you will research P2P
copyright infringement and identify other issues that can occur with P2P file
sharing.
Step 1:
Research P2P copyright infringement.
a.
What does the acronym DMCA stand
for and what is it?
_________ The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United
States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and
dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent
measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control
access to copyrighted works.___________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
b.
Name two associations that actively
pursue P2P copyright infringement?
____________________ The Recording Industry
Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America
(MPAA) have instituted legal actions against a number of P2P file sharing sites
and individuals.________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
c.
What are the penalties for
copyright infringement?
____________ Penalties, both civil and criminal, can be severe. Civil
penalties may include actual damages and profits, or statutory damages (maximum
amount of $30,000 per work that is infringed). The court can also award
reasonable attorney’s fees and costs and increase the damages in the case of
willful infringement (maximum amount of $150,000 per work that is infringed).
Criminal penalties can include fines and imprisonment.________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
d.
What are the file sharing copyright laws in your area? Are they more strict
or less strict than those in other areas of the world? How aggressively do
enforcement agencies in your area pursue those who share copyrighted material?
__________Vary Depends on local settings.________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2:
Research other P2P issues.
a.
What types of malware can be
transported through P2P file sharing?
_______ adware, computer viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, and
worms._____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
b.
What is Torrent poisoning?
___ Torrent poisoning is the act of using the BitTorrent
protocol to intentionally share corrupt data or data with misleading file
names. _________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
c.
How could identity theft occur through
the use of P2P file sharing?
________ If the P2P client software is incorrectly configured, it
may provide access to the personal information and files stored on your
computer.____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Part 3: Research P2P Copyright Litigations
In Part 3, you will research and identify
historical legal actions that have occurred as a result of P2P copyright
infringement.
a.
What was the first well-known
P2P application that specialized in MP3 file sharing and was closed by court
order?
____________ Napster was originally released in 1999 and then
closed by court order in July 2001. It was co-founded by Shawn Fanning, John
Fanning, and Sean Parker. At its peak, there were 25 million users, 80 million
songs, and the system never crashed.________________________________________________________________________
b.
What was one of the largest P2P
file sharing lawsuits ever?
___________________ In May of 2011, the law firm
Dunlap, Grubb, and Weaver (U.S. Copyright Group) sued 24,583 BitTorrent users
for sharing the film titled “Hurt Locker.” The case was the largest BitTorrent
lawsuit._________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
Reflection
How can you be sure that the files you
are downloading from P2P networks are not copyrighted and are safe from malware?
___________ There is no firm assurance that P2P files do not
contain malware and are not copyrighted. Use P2P file sharing applications at
your own risk.____________________________________________________________________________
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