BleepingComputer.com: Music Downloading Sites

Hello. On the Today Show, it was talking about how people can steal identity from certain programs/downloading sites. Does anyone know what programs are safe to download from? Apparently, Lime Wire 5.0 is good and it protects from that, but what about Bearshare? Is bearshare okay?

Thanks!

Quite honestly, you run the risk of infection and other problems using any P2P programs
That is why we recommend against them
I have noticed an increased number of malware post that include Bearshare in their logs

SharonDuquette, on Feb 26 2009, 12:00 PM, said:

Didn't watch it but if I had to guess, I would say that they were referring to legal download sites such as iTunes & Rhapsody being safe as opposed to the torrent sites you're talking about.

As the torrent sites are so overwhelmed with malware, I'm providing this link to our Am I Infected forum - just in case you need it: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum103.html

I didn't watch it, but my mom did, and she was telling me about it. No, they were not talking about the legal sites, but were talking about the P2P sites. At the end, they specifically said that Itunes, etc. are not file sharing sites.

Here's the clip:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/29405819#29405819

It's brings to life two old adages: Nothing in life is free. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

It's a lot cheaper to pay 99 cents a song than to have your bank account wiped out.

I saw the show, and it wasn't very well done.
They were talking about people gaining access to your personal files (tax returns, bank statements, etc.), for purposes of identity theft, but not how it was done, or how to prevent it.

Most p2p programs, by default, give others access to all files on your computer, unless you go into the options and restrict the files you want to share.
Most people just install the program, and start downloading, without even bothering to check how the options are set up, and that's where the problem lies.
Anyone, on the filesharing network, will be able to access, and download, any files you have marked to share.
Once they have your statements, and tax returns, they know everything they need to know about you, and your family; Social Security #'s, home address, full names, account #'s, etc

While p2p networks have their uses, they can be a dangerous place to venture into, without taking the proper precautions.