Just a few questions to catch up on news

[whohas]

Hi Guys, its been a few years since i used winmx but i do love it and would like to use it again one day, just a few questions..

i heard about these "network attacks" here (https://www.winmxworld.com/tutorials/wpn_attack_information_.html) and wikipedia, but I used winmx recently with the same patch I had from years ago, it connects, i can search, and download without trouble.

Was I supposed to do something to make it work again or should I just not use this client any more? cos i saw in another post, ghost saying people should stop using winmx client due to security concerns, and i hear there is a new winmx client in development, which is good news.

so, is it still ok/safe to use winmx or not?  cos i have no issues with it personally.  (besides the fact that nothing is encrypted and it doesn't like using proxies, so its quite easy for authorities to see what you are downloading if they wanted to), vs some other p2p clients with encryption.

[White Stripes]

your call if you want to use it or not ... tho this; https://www.winmxgroup.com/index.php?id=peer-block would be a good idea if you plan to...

[achilles]

If you decide to use WinMx I would highly advise you use peerblock and the list Stripes linked you to above. Its a must if you run as a primary. Other wise your machine could be used in a ddos attack on networks such as the DOD and others. I really hope strong encryption is added in the new client.

[White Stripes]

I really hope strong encryption is added in the new client.

i think 56bit is the legal limit in many countries... ...and a unique key would need to be generated by each client or you'd just end up back at the same position of the useless 'fixed' encryption mx has now...

[whohas_fan]

After posting these questions, I get my IP blocked.. saying :

"Sorry whohas, you are banned from using this forum!
Consistant Abusive Behaviour
This ban is not set to expire."

What consistant abusive behaviour are they referring to?  Check my posts and you will be as confused as i am right now..

I was using proxy to connect to site, forgot I had left it enabled.  Are you not allowed to connect to this site through a proxy? even if you have registered ID and beein using the forum for many years as a trusted user?  I feel very insulted by this.

can somebody explain what's going on?

[silicon_toad2000]

Your account is not banned whohas.

I would suggest maybe whatever IP you used crossed over with one that is banned.
Try without the proxy.

[achilles]

It's a possibility that others may be using the same proxy as you to troll or spam the site.  Toad (admin) should get with you shortly.

[achilles]

Stripes, I wasn't aware of a legal bit limit in encryption with P2P clients. If thats the case then VPN's would be illegal in those countries as well. What countries would target users due to the encryption? What level of encryption do clients such as emule and the former limewire use? At work on iPhone so it's hard to research here.

[GhostShip]

so, is it still ok/safe to use winmx or not?  cos i have no issues with it personally.  (besides the fact that nothing is encrypted and it doesn't like using proxies, so its quite easy for authorities to see what you are downloading if they wanted to), vs some other p2p clients with encryption.

The network is encrypted, the transfers are not but those transfers are direct user to user with zero third party involvement so there is no chance of them being intercepted unless the party you are downloading or uploading to is the enemy themselves.

Those looking carefully at the law need only remember there are no laws on the books that cover downloading material, uploading is where the liability arises from despite the big headlines designed to mislead you, read any stories about downloading and you,ll see in every case the user was uploading.

Of course as I only share my own or open src/cc material I dont worry about such matters, there is plenty of good free stuff out there now and other copyright expired material to be shared for those wanting to stay firmly within the law, a lot of folks may not know it but much of the early disney material is now free to use, that's how the copyright law works, its protected for a limited time and then we all get to share it.


http://emol.org/movies/   

See the link above for many free gems that some people still try to bilk cash from you for.

[White Stripes]

Stripes, I wasn't aware of a legal bit limit in encryption with P2P clients. If thats the case then VPN's would be illegal in those countries as well.

exactly... heh... its not a bit limitation on p2p its a bit limitation on encrypted communication of any sort...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictions_on_the_import_of_cryptography

i cite 'import' due to p2p being a global network not a per-country network... for a very long time 56bit was as strong as you could go in many countries... that level is mostly obsolete but its still a good rule-of-thumb when it comes to the more strict areas... ...or wording it another way it would be a good way of keeping winmx below the radar of most...

What level of encryption do clients such as emule and the former limewire use?

i am unfamiliar with the emule network.... the gnutella network (limewire) uses TLS (similar to SSL) style encryption but i dont know the bit depth... i assume it is 128bit like most SSL connections but im most likely wrong...

[achilles]

I would prefer 128 bit. 256 bit would be even more preferable to me if it would prevent future attacks. I don't think they wiil go after users based on the encryption level of the client. It would be much more likely based on what they are sharing. Could Filetopia's encryption method or something similar be adopted into WinMx?

[achilles]

Best to use opensource encryption. The tried and true. No use in reinventing the wheel.

[White Stripes]

Best to use opensource encryption. The tried and true. No use in reinventing the wheel.

TLS is technically a 'standard' ... its the successor to SSL...

and it doesnt matter the strength if everyone has a key... thats why, for example, a web browser has a set of 'signatures' and if you try to access an https:// website that it doesnt have a 'signed' key for it warns you about it... granted that method isnt foolproof either since there are those who will ignore the warnings...

if you want true 'dont fiddle around with it' encryption the key needs to be able to be taken from certain users either by yourself or another party... ... see the article for nullsoft 'WASTE' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASTE

other examples would be OTR (off the record) messaging for IMs (you have to manually accept the key judging for yourself if its trustworthy) and SSH (again... manual.. but in that case you may not have the permissions to accept it if you are not admin)

[whohas]

...there is no chance of them being intercepted unless the party you are downloading or uploading to is the enemy themselves...

ok I guess this raises another question, if you are downloading something which in your country is considered illegal like pirated movie or mp3 for example, surely by sharing these files they are also breaking the law? or if they are trying to catch pirate downloaders, surely this comes under entrapment which is also illegal in most countries, isn't it?

so if this is correct, then there is no risk at all with winmx if the data packets can't be sniffed and identified to find out what you are downloading, and the only people you download from are just as guilty as you

but i'm crap at legal stuff lol, so maybe im making this all up, anybody know?

[GhostShip]

I already mentioned its not downloading anyone gets court papers for, its uploading, by downloading your not assigning yourself the right to duplicate anyones files the person sharing them is and this is why its called "copy right infringement", the uploader is infringing on an exclusive right to make copies of a protected work.