Article
Investigating Cybercrimes That Occur on Documented P2P Networks
Contribution Summary
This paper outlines a methodology for investigating cybercrimes on documented P2P networks, specifically BitTorrent, by analyzing the top 100 most popular swarms over a one-week period. The investigation aims to quantify the scale of unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material through BitTorrent. The authors present the results of their investigation, which includes the identification of the top 10 countries with the most IP addresses, the distribution of IP addresses in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, and the percentage of broadband subscribers detected in each country. The study highlights the global nature of BitTorrent users and the need for a more comprehensive approach to investigating cybercrimes on P2P networks.
Keywords: Cybercrime; Peer-to-Peer Networks; BitTorrent; Copyright Infringement; Digital Forensics; Investigation Methodology; Internet Traffic Analysis; P2P Network Analysis
Abstract
The popularity of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Internet communication technologies being exploited to aid cybercrime is ever increasing. P2P systems can be used or exploited to aid in the execution of a large number of online criminal activity, e.g., copyright infringement, fraud, malware and virus distribution, botnet creation and control, etc. P2P technology is perhaps most famous for the unauthorised distribution of copyrighted materials since the late 1990’s, with the popularity of file-sharing programs, such as Napster, etc. In 2004, P2P traffic was accounted for 80% of all Internet traffic and in 2005, specifically BitTorrent traffic accounted for over 60% of the world’s P2P bandwidth usage. This paper outlines a methodology for investigating a documented P2P network, BitTorrent, using a sample investigation for reference throughout. The sample investigation outlined was conducted on the top 100 most popular BitTorrent swarms over the course of a one week period.
BibTeX
@article{scanlon2011p2pcybercrimes,
author = {Scanlon, Mark and Hannaway, Alan and Kechadi, M-Tahar},
title = "{Investigating Cybercrimes That Occur on Documented P2P Networks}",
journal = "{International Journal of Ambient Computing and Intelligence}",
issue_date = {April 2011},
volume = {3},
number = {2},
month = 04,
year = 2011,
issn = {1941-6237},
pages = "56-63",
numpages = {8},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/jaci.2011040104},
doi = {10.4018/jaci.2011040104},
acmid = {2433187},
publisher = {IGI Global},
address = {Hershey, PA, USA},
keywords = {BitTorrent, Communication, Computer Forensics, Cybercrime, Internet, Investigation, Methodology, Peer-to-Peer, Protocol},
abstract="The popularity of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Internet communication technologies being exploited to aid cybercrime is ever increasing. P2P systems can be used or exploited to aid in the execution of a large number of online criminal activity, e.g., copyright infringement, fraud, malware and virus distribution, botnet creation and control, etc. P2P technology is perhaps most famous for the unauthorised distribution of copyrighted materials since the late 1990’s, with the popularity of file-sharing programs, such as Napster, etc. In 2004, P2P traffic was accounted for 80% of all Internet traffic and in 2005, specifically BitTorrent traffic accounted for over 60% of the world’s P2P bandwidth usage. This paper outlines a methodology for investigating a documented P2P network, BitTorrent, using a sample investigation for reference throughout. The sample investigation outlined was conducted on the top 100 most popular BitTorrent swarms over the course of a one week period."
}