Related Resources • Welcome to Hackville • Duload worm • Benjamin worm • Kwbot worm • Virus Encyclopedia • Glossary of terms

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Elsewhere on the Web • IWT Bans RIAA From Access • Small ISP Fights Back • The Internet Debacle

KaZaA users have more reason for alarm. Amidst threats that Congress will give the RIAA legal rights to hack users' computers in search of copyrighted music, virus writers continue to release new worms that specifically target the P2P file-sharing network. On August 21, 2002, the Duload worm was discovered circulating on the KaZaA network, creating provocatively named instances of itself in an attempt to entice users to download and run the worm. The Duload ruse mimics that of the Benjamin worm, discovered in May 2002, which copies itself using over 2000 different filenames, most modeled after popular music selections. In addition to Benjamin, Duload is preceded by the Kwbot worm, discovered in June 2002, which uses similar tactics to disguise itself as popular movie and software titles. Of course, KaZaA users are not alone in their misery. Gnutella users have also been victimized by worms targeting the Gnutella network and all file-sharing services carry a greater risk of virus infection in general.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing networks are also becoming fertile ground for vigilantism. In an attempt to protect customers' data from the RIAA, Omachonu Ogali, owner of Information Wave Technologies, plans to create a honeypot of sorts, designed to attract and deter hacking attempts from the Recording Institute. Ogali believes the copyright initiatives of the RIAA "puts (sic) customers at risk of unintentional damage, corporate espionage, and invasion of privacy to say the least." Mr. Ogali noted, "The placement of this policy is not intended to hamper the RIAA's piracy elimination agenda or advocate Internet piracy, but to ensure the safety of our customers' data attached to our network from hackers or corporate espionage hidden by the veil of RIAA copyright enforcement."

The initiative underdertaken by Information Wave Technologies followed on the heels of a lawsuit filed by the RIAA against AT&T Broadband Corp., Cable & Wireless USA, Sprint Corp Advanced Network Services and UUNET Technologies to force the ISPs to block access to Listen4ever.com, a website located in China allegedly offering a wide range of popular MP3s. The resulting publicity of the website caused an unintentional denial of service (DoS) attack, forcing the website offline as presumably large numbers of interested persons visited the site. Supporters of file-sharing networks then suggested the reverse be done, advocating equally large number of persons visit the RIAA website to launch a similar DoS. It is unknown whether the attempt was successful, but the RIAA sites, www.riaa.com, www.riaa.net, and www.riaa.org, have been successfully targeted in the past by denial of service attacks since the Congressional proposal was announced. The RIAA has since dropped the lawsuit against the ISPs but continues its efforts to enforce a subpoena ordering Verizon to turn over the name of a customer the RIAA believes illegally possesses copyrighted music.

The backlash against the RIAA is not confined to music 'pirates' but also includes musicians. Grammy-winning artist Janis Ian rebuts many of the RIAA claims in her recent aricle, FALLOUT - a follow up to The Internet Debacle. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has also stepped forward. Arguing that recent RIAA initiatives violate civil rights, the EFF has set up an action center to provide "the tools and information you need to protect your rights in the digital world."

Is the current controversy fueling an atmosphere in which virus writers will become the Robin Hood's of Internet freedom? When one considers the tactic proposed by Information Wave Technologies, in which dummy files would be placed throughout the P2P networks to attract and identify the RIAA probes, and then examines current worm strategies which can automate the creation of dummy files, one has to wonder if the virus writers will eventually join forces with anti-RIAA supporters. One thing is certain. File-sharing networks are increasingly becoming an Internet battlefield. Lines are being drawn in the sand and, when that happens, the distinction between good and bad can sometimes become blurred.