Security is a main issue nowadays and it seems another big group of users is vulnerable for possible attacks.
It seems that it is possible to create files with malicious code, rename them to MP3, have them played in Windows Media Player or Real Player and damage the users computer.
What we're looking at here is the fact that you can have mobile code now inside of a music file," said Richard Smith, a security consultant in Brookline, Mass. "So you start getting into security problems like macro (viruses) in (Microsoft) Word documents, or ActiveX or JavaScript problems in HTML files. Once you get code inside of a data file, you start having problems." |
An exploit using music files would rely on a Web browser with a known vulnerability. But reports of the potential problem have raised old concerns about the ability of malicious file-swappers to "poison the pool" of files traded on networks such as Gnutella, MusicCity/Morpheus, Kazaa and other services that have sprung up in Napster's wake.
The article also mentions that this could be false information to scare off users of file sharing networks. The RIAA would benefit from this.
Hint: Winamp.com (The latest beta is also able to play video files)
Source: News.com
