File Sharing Opens Users to Identity Theft

Wed Nov 7, 2007 5:09PM EST

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Surprise! When you share files on your computer with the teeming masses on the Internet, you might be sharing more than just music and video files. Numerous peer-to-peer users are learning, the hard way, that file sharing is a quick and easy way to open yourself up to identity theft.

The story isn't at all new, but the Wall Street Journal is bringing it into better focus, with specific examples and an indication that this trend is exploding. One man pleaded guilty last week to stealing tax forms, credit reports, and loan applications from more than 50 people, through the file-sharing program LimeWire. He then used the info to open credit accounts in those people's names, the usual form that identity theft takes. In September, Citigroup lost more than 5,000 Social Security numbers because one of its employees was using LimeWire and shared the wrong network. Ditto for Pfizer in June, which lost 17,000 employee records the same way.

Finding this stuff online isn't hard. Search any P2P network for hot-button words like "taxes," "resume," or "loan," and you'll come across personal information in seconds. It's also easy to misconfigure your computer to inadvertently share this information. One or two clicks is normally all it takes to share the entire contents of your hard drive instead of a specific directory intended for sharing. And no, all the security software in the world won't help you if you make a mistake like this.

What should you do? For starters, don't use P2P at all if you don't know what you're getting into. As the WSJ notes, using a computer dedicated solely to file sharing is a potentially good solution; just keep anything you don't want shared off the PC altogether. (It also goes without saying that you shouldn't share copyrighted material, either, but that's a lecture for another day.) Some networks are safer than others; certain P2P apps, like BearShare, no longer allow DOC or PDF files to be shared at all. On the other hand, in my experience, LimeWire is the network most likely to turn up private information.

The full story also has information on corporate software that can help protect you by monitoring what you're sharing, called Tiversa. Check out the link below for more details.

LINK: The Hidden Risk of File-Sharing 

Comments on File Sharing Opens Users to Identity Theft

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  • 7 Posted by john_chinchen on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:39PM EDT Report Abuse

    I am a computer tech, and have come across more than one hard drive with a shared root, along with Limewire. People just don't understand the dangers. You would think in this day and age there would be a greater level of awareness, and there may be, but there is also a large population of people that don't know how to protect themselves.

  • 9 Posted by joeyoungfitz on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    Don't share one line, or should say steal on line. Over 95% of content on shared sights are copyrighted.

  • 10 Posted by alacalufe100 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    How to know which P2P was the one used? All of them have the problem? here we got the news but not the remedy.

  • 12 Posted by fitty4ex on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would suggest Bit-torrent too. You only have access to the files contained in the torrent you downloaded. Limewire is a joke anyways.

  • 13 Posted by alacalufe100 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    My virus program always close Lime wire.Kazaa is other on the same class of Lime wire.

  • 14 Posted by topdogrd2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    Don't use bearshare as a IT person. bearshare will sell you information.

  • 15 Posted by big_blind1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:07PM EDT Report Abuse

    A friend of mine had their personal pictures stolen through limewire. Next thing you know they are on porn sites everywhere. Even a yahoo personals was set up with her pics and a myspace. Now for the rest of her life she has to be worried about who's going to call her next and say they just found more pictures on a different site. Moral of the story is watch out, these sites are no good!

  • 17 Posted by tonyloos on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    Livewire is one of AC/DCs greatest albums.

  • 18 Posted by ccoffey_81 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are aware of someone sharing your file, who do you contact?

  • 19 Posted by lizardking71us on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hey Gerald I use file sharing, and I am very computer literate. It is stupid to pay for internet, and then not get free files. The solution is easy just use one computer for file sharing and then use an old computer, you can get one for 25 bucks, for your taxes and other personal stuff. Or go into your filesharing network and set the files to share as only certain folders. File sharing is safe if you know what you are doing.

  • 20 Posted by elmariachi227 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    It is unfortunate that the audience that needs to read this article will never find or be aware of it.

  • 21 Posted by cnralph on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:27PM EDT Report Abuse

    Hit it right on the head. Don't get into p2p if you don't know what you're doing. There are many ways to overcome, especially limewire. One, changing sharing settings on limewire. Two, encrypt sensitive files. Limewire will not share these files. I know this for a fact. Three, mattm911 is a loser.

  • 22 Posted by besteeblue on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:05PM EDT Report Abuse

    aiways keep fils in save place and pls connect me with a friend

  • 23 Posted by twistless on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:25PM EDT Report Abuse

    Limewire defaults to a share folder, not to the contents of your hard drive. So you would have to knowingly (or completely unknowing) go in and change in limewire prefs to share everything on your computer. You want to share, fine, but do it safe... go through a proxy or pick up someone elses network (and ip address) and only share things you know you will not get busted for (in order to fill share quotas). Or, bittorrent, share blogs, sendspace, rapidshare, blah blah blah.

  • 24 Posted by viera012000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    "LimeWire is for losers"......hmmm...more lie Limewire is not for dummies!!!!

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