Filed under: Internet, Security, P2P
How not to configure your new Limewire install
Why does it matter? For one thing, it could lead to a massive amount of private information leaking onto a file sharing network like Gnutella. Here are some examples:
- An executive at a Manhattan production company accidentally leaked over 2,700 documents including the names, birth dates, and social security numbers of contractors, as well as scripts of episodes currently in pre-production
- A paralegal/transcription service leaked more than 5,000 documents including medical records and confidential attorney/client information
- A bookkeeper at a food service company leaked thousands of files including scanned driver's licenses, social security, and insurance cards
First off, if you're on a work computer that contains sensitive data, do yourself a favor: don't install any file sharing programs like Limewire. You're asking for trouble. That said, keeping your documents off the network only involves a few simple steps.
Limewire 5:
Click the tools menu, then options. On the library tab, look for add the following file types to my library. By default, Limewire adds documents and images to your library during the install process. Chances are good that 1) you don't want to share those and 2) that you're probably only using Limewire to download movies or music. Uncheck images and documents.
As a further precaution, it's a good idea to put your Limewire shares into one specific folder to minimize the risk of other files getting shared accidentally.
Limewire 4:
Again, click tools and choose options. Click the + next to sharing and then click on types.
Uncheck documents and images - and remember to click twice. The first click merely highlights the file type, it doesn't remove the checkmark.
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The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Unknown said 6:31PM on 2-17-2009
I hate to sound like a dick. But most people kind of have it coming to them.
Sure, Limewire and other p2p apps should not be enabling this stuff by default, but the average user will never, ever give a damn until pictures of them and their pets in compromising positions ends up on Oprah.
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Alistair loveless said 7:08PM on 2-17-2009
i TOTALLY agrre with dude who sounds like a dick.
its not hard.. READ
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spoffy2 said 7:40PM on 2-17-2009
It's easy to say it's a person's own fault but when a client's personal info is leaked by someone it could be your concern how people config their P2P
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cowabungaCarl said 9:02PM on 2-17-2009
I agree with spoffy2. The person that leaks sensitive data, is leaking the sensitive data of OTHER people, who are not at fault.
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polobunny said 10:32PM on 2-17-2009
I guess ultimately it's your fault for trusting morons. :P
Doron Ben Chaim said 10:46PM on 2-17-2009
frostwire ftw
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mbob said 11:06PM on 2-17-2009
I got limewire pro for free at limewire5.tk
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Richard said 12:01PM on 2-20-2009
Whilst I understand the "it's not hard, read" argument, I think it's a bit much for a piece of software to come out of the box with settings that expose all your files to the world.
Yes, you should go through the settings - but people don't and people have a reasonable expectation that something which isn't configured will at least come with a sane and sensible set of defaults.
Unfortunately companies want to push the new features they've developed and so have a tendency to turn everything on - otherwise they'd never get used. This leads to insane and insecure defaults which put people at risk.
There have been plenty of times when I've gone through an application and thought "my god, why does it default to this?".
Six of one, half a dozen of the other.
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James said 11:21AM on 2-18-2009
"...the average user simply doesn't understand how important it is to pay attention to the messages during a software install."
You know, driving a car is stupendously dangerous — if you're just 5 degrees off with the steering wheel, you could die in a head-on collision — and yet the vast majority of us manage to avoid killing ourselves. Why? Because a) we actually spent time training to drive a car, instead of just assuming that you turn the key and off you go; and b) we know the price of not doing driving very well can be extremely serious. A car, after all, is a very powerful machine.
The masses simply don't understand the power they're exercising by using a computer, especially one connected to the internet.
If they did, they might take a little more responsibility and thereby save themselves and others a lot of trouble and frustration.
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Muffin_man said 11:35AM on 2-18-2009
People still use Limewire? Any person I know who has problems with viruses use that program. Other P2P programs don't share your files unless your part of a torrent tracker, it still isn't secure but it's a lot better than Limeware's "Share everything" way of working.
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Abscissa said 5:20PM on 2-19-2009
To paraphrase PT Barnum: There's a moron born every minute.
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