Users of the popular file-swapping program Kazaa frequently expose personal data to other network users by erroneously designating which files should be shared files, according to research released by HP Labs.
The study, conducted by computer scientists Nathaniel S. Good of HP Labs and Aaron Krekelberg of the University of Minnesota, points out that peer-to-peer programs often pose a threat to computer privacy.
The research, which was published Wednesday on Hewlett-Packard's Web site, found that a significant percentage of Kazaa users have accidentally or unknowingly designated private files to be shared with everyone who has access to the popular Kazaa network.
The researchers scripted programs to search the Kazaa network for files that store Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail, with the assumption that these would be files that no one would intentionally share on the public network.
News source: Yahoo! News
