One in four P2P downloads are faked content

25% of files downloaded from The Pirate Bay are fakes [ArsTechnica]

Here's another reason why it's not a great idea to hit up a P2P network for music or video - you have at least a one in four chance of downloading a fake copy of the content you're looking for. A group of computer scientists from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Spain took a look at several BitTorrent search engines like The Pirate Bay and Mininova, compiling research about the files available for download. They discovered that fully 30 percent of the files on these sites were fake - that their contents didn't match the file description. 

Most of the fake torrents were planted by anti-piracy companies working for content creation companies in an effort to make illegal file trading more troublesome than simply purchasing legitimate versions of the content. These files usually contain dummy data. However, a significant number of the fake files were malware disguised as pirated software or content. Hackers plant the malware in P2P networks hoping that a hapless user downloads and executes the file, which might recruit a user's computer into a botnet or infect it with a virus.

The Spanish scientists found that while P2P search engines manage to block some of the fake files and savvy P2P users avoid some as well, one in four torrent downloads involve a fake file. That's an incredibly high number considering that the fakes - unlike the real versions - aren't likely to be redistributed by users.

Given how reasonably priced most legal content is online, maybe it's time to stop breaking the law and just pay up.

Comments

[ARGO]

That's a 100% false claim !

[Mike]

It's simple, don't download from a site that doesn't have user comments.