RSS
Twitter
MediaDefender Internal Email Leak Confirms Plans To Launch Honeypot File Sharing Network
from the oops dept
Back in July, there was a report that MediaDefender, a company that works for the MPAA and RIAA polluting file sharing networks with fake files, was working on a fake file sharing network that would trick users into downloading some spyware that could then be used to send details back to the entertainment industry for use in various lawsuits. After the news broke, MediaDefender denied that this was the intended purpose of the project, and said it was just an internal project that was accidentally made public. Speaking of internal stuff accidentally made public, late Friday the news began to spread that a bunch of MediaDefender's internal emails were now available on file sharing systems, and looking through them seems to indicate not only that MediaDefender was spending an awful lot of time on this fake site (called MiiVi.com) but even after it was exposed, the company was still working on it, while trying to find a new name that wouldn't be connected to MediaDefender. Of course, we should point out that hacking MediaDefender to get its internal emails (and phone calls, apparently) is not very smart. It makes MediaDefender start to look like the victim and opens up a very real (and reasonable) possibility of a lawsuit against whoever got (and then leaked) the emails. MediaDefender was a company that would have collapsed on itself eventually anyway. There's no reason to help push them over the edge -- especially using illegal or unethical means.
Reader Comments
(Flattened / Threaded)
Juicy!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
MPAA and RIAA?
What are these things of which you speak?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: MPAA and RIAA?
its the MAFIAA
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: MPAA and RIAA?
Mr. Hands is worse than TubGirl. =P
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: MPAA and RIAA?
Mr. Hands is worse than TubGirl. =P
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
MediaBlunder
Fake files are bad enough (back when I used Kazaa, the ones I hated the most were ones where the chorus section of a song loops repeatedly so that you have to spend a minute trying to figure out if it's the real song or not!), but a fake file sharing site is pretty weak and won't last more than a few days if it ever gets online! In any case, file-sharing between millions of strangers is on it's way out as people discover the merits of private and encrypted file-sharing between friends (ex: GigaTribe)...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
they can't do much for torrents
also, if you read the emails, you'll note that they can't do that much about torrents since poisoning/bad seeds are easy to get around. Also notice that they don't even attempt to stop piratebay (because bad seeds are found there very quickly)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Just now...
I thought for a long time that a few of them already were, LOL. Especially Limewire. Dang, too bad I was wrong!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
dang
If you go through the emails, you see just how frickin' bad this is for MediaDefender. I do so hope the mainstream news gets ahold of this one.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Legallity?
This almost sounds illegal. I could lawsuit after lawsuit on this. So to put it this in real terms...If someone were to do something illegsl like break into my house, I could then go break into his house and get away with it? Eye for an eye? I think not. Mediadefender definitely went the wrong direction with trying to stop piracy. These companies pay software engineers big bucks to come up with theft prevention techniques. Couldnt they have come up with something a ittle more creative? I mean really?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Fight Fire with Napalm
I say screw the ethics, cheers to whoever leaked the emails, and keep at it. Don't give these bastards an inch.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Entrapment
Clear and simple case of entrapment. Someone better at it than i am should write a virus that sniffs out one of these fakes and tracks back with the data to infect the MediaDefender computers.
Maybe even detect and publish the Ports being used by MD to the greater web, I am sure there are lots of folks that can find something to do with them.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Virus
naw - let them set up the website to download alleged "Illegal" content. This way the public can go after them for copyrighted materials. Either that or someone needs to write a virus that will download something from their site secretly on everyones computers around the world. Could you imagine the traffic and court cases that they would have to pay for for false accusations? Either that or someone needs to write a virus that just downloads illegal crap silently and do the same thing, that would in turn shut everything down I think.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Made the WSJ
Page 1B of the 9-17-07 Wall Street Journal had a good size article on MediaDefender’s leak. Looks like more than just the tech community will know about MD’s problem...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
What a joke!
The Media defender people decide to launch a fake filesharing site and call it...
MiiVi.com??
Mii = me
Vi = #4 = D
-----------------
MeeDee
Oh, suuuuuure! No one will ever figure out who MeeDee is...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
"Vi = #4 = D"
Roman numerals aren't your strong point, eh?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re:
LoL seriously.
You were off by 1 digit.
I'll let you guess if it's +/-
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re:
off by one digit? try 2. VI is 6.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re: Re:
I could then go break into his house and get away with it? Eye for an eye? I think not. Mediadefender definitely went the wrong direction with trying to stop piracy. These companies pay software engineers laptop AC adapters big bucks to come up with theft prevention techniques. Couldnt they have come up with something a ittle more creative? I mean really?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Awesome.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
MediaDefender
phuck with da b3st di3 lik3 th3 r3st.
da ball iz in ur c0urt.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment