The Dangers of Downloading Illegal Softwares

The Dangers of Downloading illegal or pirated movies, music, softwares, scripts, applications etc. are :

What’s at Stake—The Value of Intellectual Property:

antipiracyWith peer-to-peer networks you may get more than you bargain for. Users of peer-to-peer networks typically download and install free software on their computers that allows them to find and download files located on another users drive; and share with other users the files located on their computer. What you don’t realize is that spyware and other similar programs are often imbedded in the software you download.

Spyware allows the company to monitor the web pages you go to, the information you put in, and even use your computer’s power without your knowledge. According to MacAfee, 90% of computer users unknowingly have spyware on their computers. Some spyware is designed to record keystrokes which facilitates identity theft and fraud. Users lose the ability to control their own computers. The spyware programs actively compete with the programs you have open, even using your processing power to the point your computer crashes. Spyware applications contribute to one-half of all crashes according to the directors of Windows privacy.

Grokster and other programs also pose privacy risks by making it easy for users to unknowingly share more information than they intend. The system is designed for only a certain folder—the shared folder to be accessible. However, users can easily make their whole C-drive available without being aware of it. The security settings are confusing and easily changed to allow access to sensitive material stored on your computer without knowing what you’ve done. Your C-drive has all the information stored on your computer on it. This often includes information input in programs like Quicken or Microsoft Money that have your social security and bank account numbers. Peer-to-peer networks pose a serious identity theft security risk.

When downloading songs and movies from other users, you also put yourself at risk for viruses. While the primary method of contracting a virus has been email, peer-to-peer networks provide a new method of introducing malicious code into a computer. Viruses can take advantage of the peer-to-peer network, and attempt to copy themselves or infect files within the shared peer-to-peer space. The viruses copies itself into popular files names and tricks users into downloading and executing those files, causing the user’s computer to crash. For this reason, peer-to-peer networks are breeding grounds for hackers with malicious intent.

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