Learn in the textbookMalware Distribution Routes and Extortion Tactics
DefinitionFile-sharing software (ファイル交換ソフトウェア) lets users’ computers connect directly to one another to exchange files, mostly using a P2P (peer-to-peer) design.
ExplanationThe files passed around are hard to trace to a source, so downloading a fake file with malware hidden in it becomes a route to infection. Depending on the malware, documents on the PC that were never meant to be shared can end up in the exchange area and spread to many users. Once a file has spread, it is almost impossible to recall.
AnalogyIt is like a swap meet where strangers hand each other parcels with no sender’s name. Nobody has checked whether what is inside is safe.
Memory hookA peer is an equal; picture a setup where there is no difference between the side that gives and the side that receives.