Many people who watched live streaming video of the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama on Jan. 20 may not realize that their PC was used to send the video to other PCs, too.
Clicking "yes" to a CNN.com dialog box installed a peer-to-peer (P2P) application that uses your Internet bandwidth rather than CNN's to send live video to other viewers.
The P2P application is called Octoshape Grid Delivery and is managed by Octoshape ApS, a company based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Many people who watched live streaming video of the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama on Jan. 20 may not realize that their PC was used to send the video to other PCs, too.
Clicking "yes" to a CNN.com dialog box installed a peer-to-peer (P2P) application that uses your Internet bandwidth rather than CNN's to send live video to other viewers.
The P2P application is called Octoshape Grid Delivery and is managed by Octoshape ApS, a company based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thank-you echrada for the heads-up on this disturbing disclosure, and the linked article is certainly well worth a re-read.........the basic warning? AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!
Two extracts that provide some sobering information are;
[FONT=Arial,Sans-serif]Ludicrous license terms. Anyone who reads Octoshape's EULA after clicking "yes" to install the app finds that they've agreed to some hilarious prohibitions:
"You may not collect any information about communication in the network of computers that are operating the Software or about the other users of the Software by monitoring, interdicting or intercepting any process of the Software. Octoshape recognizes that firewalls and anti-virus applications can collect such information, in which case you not are allowed to use or distribute such information."[/FONT] Huh?
and more disturbing;
[FONT=Arial,Sans-serif]Security vulnerabilities. The Octoshape app is supported by an established company and is not any kind of virus or worm. However, most programs have bugs, and Octoshape specifically communicates with its own servers and other PCs in ways that are not apparent to end users.
Any Web site you visit that is "Octoshape aware" can invoke the application. If a security vulnerability is discovered in the Octoshape software, hackers could exploit the weakness.
Media players expose PC users to serious security flaws more often than Windows itself does, as WS associate editor Scott Dunn reported on Aug. 16, 2007. For instance, several new vulnerabilities were discovered in Flash Player version 9 in 2008 alone, including one rated "highly critical," according to advisories by the security firm Secunia.
In a follow-up article on Sept. 6, 2007, Scott reported that Flash Player 9 was found to be unpatched in 62% of the Windows PCs that participated in a test. End users can correct these holes by patching the player or upgrading to version 10, but too few do so. [/FONT]Noteworthy advice......Upgrade to Flash Player v10!
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