Computer forensics can expose some of the most unexpected issues within your data structure. For example, did you know your employees could be utilizing your company’s servers and data to host their own BitTorrent operations? Your company may be exposing itself to performance hits and legal liability issues with BitTorrent, which can host not only things like movies and music, but is frequently used to host stolen personal data and even child pornography.
Bit Torrent is sophisticated file-sharing software that breaks files up into small manageable fragments across multiple servers. The distributed nature relieves the pressure on any one client to support the download of a single large file. A single server operation is used to compare the assembled file to a hash, verifying its contents, and the disparate files are then assembled via the order dictated in the hash file. The software’s very distributed nature makes it easy to install on corporate hosts and difficult to root out once present.
Bit Torrent is ubiquitous. The server software can be anywhere on your network, frequently hidden via renamed executable file names. You will need to use a Network Traffic Analysis tool to find out if your enterprise is serving BitTorrent files without your knowledge. Once traces of activity are found, usually via identification of BitTorrent-specific applications on your network, you will be able to identify the originating IP address and user id associated with the activity, and begin your documentation and cleanup process. As with all things security, diligence is key—regular sweeps need to be undertaken.
NSC Information Technology Group is well aware of the threats posed by BitTorrent, and possesses the expertise to identify this and other potential weak spots in your networking infrastructure. Contact us today to get ahead of the potential legal liability and productivity hazards presented by BitTorrent servers running on your network.