Is Limewire Safe Now? Revisiting Peer-To-Peer File Sharing
Posted: Thursday, April 01, 2010
by Scott Drinkard
The Computer Guy
A couple of years ago I wrote a piece on the potential pitfalls of installing peer-to-peer file sharing software on your computer. The article dealt with what I (as a working PC technician) saw as an obvious correlation between virus infections and the P2P software that was invariably on the affected machines.
In my original article, I singled the folks at LimeWire out from the other file sharing services because of their overwhelming popularity. I explained, in general, how file sharing services work and why they can, by their very nature, put the security of your computer at risk. Malware was spreading like wildfire and it was pretty obvious from my unique vantage point how a lot of those viruses were being passed around.
Last month, AVG Technologies announced that "LimeWire LLC has licensed the AVG Anti-Virus SDK engine and has integrated the anti-virus/ anti-spyware protection into LimeWire Pro". That quote comes directly from the press release from AVG's website. The release also states that "Through this partnership, all files will be scanned before LimeWire Pro will allow them to play or execute on an end user's computer, which prevents infected files from harming machines".
This is HUGE. I know, I know... most people don't get all that excited about antivirus, but this changes everything for the bad guys. One of the major distribution channels of malware is about to be shut down. I don't know how much of an impact this will have on the overall spread of viruses and spyware, but based on years of observation, I have to guess that it will put a serious dent in it.
I've always been a big supporter of AVG. I've found their products to be outstanding and for years I've been recommending AVG to all of my customers. Not so with LimeWire. I've always kind of viewed them as being a part of the problem, but maybe they've finally decided to be part of the solution. Who knows?
Maybe the big shots at LimeWire finally realized that their product was being used to distribute all kinds of headaches to their customers. Then again, maybe the bean counters decided it would be more profitable to partner with AVG instead of having their users PCs become giant paperweights, rendered unusable by malware infections. Whatever the reason, it's a real win for the end user, so my hat's off to the people at LimeWire.
So, have I changed my mind about file sharing services? As a general rule, no. I still can't bring myself to endorse such services. I will say that my stance against LimeWire has softened a bit, though. So if you feel the need to use a P2P sharing service, go with LimeWire Pro. At least that will offer a level of protection that other services lack and it will let the people at LimeWire know that they are doing the right thing. By acknowledging that a problem existed and moving proactively to do something about it, LimeWire may have just made the internet a little safer for us all.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)I agree about Limewire, at least previously. I know people who experienced the virus issues with that, and also recommend AVG anti-virus.Good information.Thx.
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