Leaked Media Defender e-mails reveal secrets

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Peer-to-peer (P2P) poisoning company MediaDefender suffered an embarrassing leak this weekend, when almost 700MB of internal company e-mail was distributed on the Internet via BitTorrent. The e-mails reveal many aspects of MediaDefender's elaborate P2P disruption strategies, illuminate previously undisclosed details about the MiiVi scandal, and bring to light details regarding MediaDefender's collaboration with the New York Attorney General's office on a secret law enforcement project. We have been reviewing the data for days and will have multiple reports on the topic.

MediaDefender specializes in file-sharing mitigation—practices that disrupt and deter infringing uses of P2P file-sharing networks. Music labels and movie studios pay the company millions of dollars to temporarily impede the propagation of new releases in order to compel consumers to pursue legitimate commercial distribution channels. MediaDefender accomplishes this task by using its array of 2,000 servers and a 9GBps dedicated connection to propagate fake files and launch denial of service attacks against distributors.

View: Ars Technica

#1 Mando on 17 Sep 2007 - 10:48

lol quality

I wonder how quick Jay Mairs at MediaDefender will get his marching orders for this!

Imagine emailing all that info to your own gmail account what a prize tool!

(1 reply) #2 g0wg on 17 Sep 2007 - 10:49

Erm ... isn't stuff like denial of service attacks illegal?

#2.1 theyarecomingforyou on 17 Sep 2007 - 20:30

Yeah, that's what I thought. Fair enough spreading fake files of copyrighted material but launching DoS attacks is over-the-top, particularly if it affects the targets ability to share legitimate files.

(1 reply) #3 n_K on 17 Sep 2007 - 10:57

700MB ?
no, there was 1.5GB of MySQL data and another 1.4GB torrent, so i make that 2.9GB of data stolen... to which i say, PWNT

#3.1 Jugalator on 17 Sep 2007 - 12:57

As they say in the article, the e-mail data leaked was about 700 MB. They aren't talking of anything else, although yes, more have leaked since then, including phone calls.

#4 zeta_immersion on 17 Sep 2007 - 11:51

sweet

#5 lunamonkey on 17 Sep 2007 - 13:13

So now they have to upload fake data on themselves to cover it up [

]

#6 +mrbester on 17 Sep 2007 - 13:20

...and there was me thinking it was just a bunch of cracker lowlifes that always seemed to have any file I looked for on LimeWire with massive available bandwidth, all of which were fakes and contained viruses / Trojans...

If that really was MediaDefender then they are in breach of the Misuse of Computers Act by knowingly distributing malware with the sole purpose of disrupting computer networks. DoSing is also illegal. Being on the side of the "good" guys doesn't make the slightest bit of difference.

#7 JiveMasterT on 17 Sep 2007 - 13:40

This will not end well for MD.

(4 replies) #8 Pippin666 on 17 Sep 2007 - 13:40

How can you accidently share 700MB of emails over Bit Torrent? I thought you had to :
1) make a *.torrent file using a client
2) find a tracker
3) upload the file
4) seed it

An average-joe network administrator along with a reasonably good equipment can easily see and track P2P traffic on it's network and receive an alarm via cellphone or on any other device.

Pip'

#8.1 SOOPRcow on 17 Sep 2007 - 13:55

Dude, did you even read the article?

Quote -

Apparently, MediaDefender employee Jay Mairs forwarded all of his company e-mails to a Gmail account, which was eventually infiltrated.

#8.2 Pippin666 on 17 Sep 2007 - 14:02

Quote - (SOOPRcow said @ #8.1)

Thank you!

Pip'

#8.3 C_Guy on 17 Sep 2007 - 18:13

Impossible. Google is all about privacy.

Oh wait....

#8.4 Pippin666 on 17 Sep 2007 - 20:05

Quote - (C_Guy said @ #8.3)

What the hell was that trying to subtly say? Privacy bugs in Google's Google search engine are NOT done on purpose you know. Stop being a heinous-stupid-kiddos.

Pip'

(1 reply) #9 Croquant on 17 Sep 2007 - 14:35

I say we trace MD back to their masters at the RIAA, then sue them both into bankruptcy and nuke them from orbit.
It's what they deserve.

#9.1 RAID 0 on 17 Sep 2007 - 18:42

PLUS! It's the only way to be sure!

(1 reply) #10 JiveMasterT on 17 Sep 2007 - 15:05

Haha that torrent has to be the fastest torrent I've ever downloaded.

#10.1 Esvandiary on 17 Sep 2007 - 18:12

There is an HTTP mirror of the leaked emails (I won't post it since a warning would probably be the least I'd get), and some of the quotes are classic... Especially when MiiVi got discovered and the whole thing just ballooned before they could lift a finger over it

#11 Makaveli7 on 17 Sep 2007 - 17:00

The e-mails, unfortunately, also contain some highly sensitive financial information, including a spreadsheet with the salaries, Social Security numbers, and home addresses of individual MediaDefender software developers.

ouch

#12 +warwagon on 17 Sep 2007 - 18:06

"You broke into the wrong gaul darn wreck room didn't you, you big jerk!" -Tremors

#13 .Kompressor on 17 Sep 2007 - 19:51

bastards.

Entrapment.

someone should send them kiddy porn and then send their address to the FBI.

see how they like it.

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