Attention students: Do not skip over this part. Seriously. It's not a lecture on the ethics or laws of downloading copyrighted materials (we may get that later). We simply want to be aware of the problems you expose yourself and your peers to by taking part in this practice.
When you're using a peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing service (such as Kazaa, Limewire, and Morpheus) you’re usually getting the file from someone you don’t know. "That person might be vulnerable to viruses," says Fred Hicks, Associate Director of Network Systems, "or it could be a malicious system your computer is talking to, looking to infect you or get your computer’s information."
Also, many free P2P programs are packaged with spyware or adware.
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If you’re a student grinding through the semester’s workload, faculty preparing coursework and grading assignments, or staff trying to meet your deadlines, the last thing on your mind is probably your computer system’s safety. Well, you could be losing a lot of that hard work (not to mention your personal information) unless you take some simple precautions.
When students bring their computers from home or faculty and staff connect with their personal computers to the network, "they are exposing Adelphi's system [and each other] to everything on their computer," says Fred Hicks, Associate Director of Network Systems. "It’s like the Wild West out there."
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