Dear followers,
Let me tell you something about a very small, useful yet very very risky application, installing which can be consider a deadly mistake in a corporate network. You all know this. It is uTorrent.
Q. What is uTorrent?
A. It is a tiny application which allows you to download software, mp3 songs or latest movies very easily.
Q.How is it harmful then?
A. The application itself is not harmful for a personal desktop, but it is extremely risky to install it in a corporate network as it creates back-doors which can even bypass corporate fire walls. It is as simple as that , you purchase a firewall worth lacks of rupees, but allow almost all external connection.
In a corporate network scenario your systems are not supposed to be accessible from outside network. But applications like team viewer, log me in etc can. How? Because at the time of installation it is taking admin rights to bypass the firewall setting and setting its own port exception to connect. Same thing is done by u torrent.. but it is to give your own files to the peers. utorrent doesn’t maintain any web space from where you are down loading n numbers of software, instead it uses our on hdd storage for providing link to peers. Not convinced? confused? then try this at home.
- 1. create a .bat file with simple dos command “netstat -an>>ipl.txt” rename it iplist.bat save in desktop
- 2. Try downloading any big popular movie.. wait for peers to connect.
- 3. Once you get some 10-20 peers just double click on iplist.bat. It will create a txt file named ipl.txt on your desktop.
- 4. Open it you will find all the external IPs which are connected to your system. It may includes IPs of Google, avast,Skype,net meetings etc.
- 5.Download angry IP scan and install
- 6.Copy external IP one by one and scan the entire range (*.*.*.1 – *.*.*.254) You will get entire range of live hosts along with shared folders if any. You will be able to open that folder as if you are opening your own share folder.
Now think…what harm you are doing by installing utorrent on our network and allowing others to discover and browse through our shared folders. I hope you all understand now.
Please send your valuable feedback/suggesations
Utpal Munshi
Lets pray for World Peace 