Check Point Advisories

Security Best Practice: Blocking Kazaa

Check Point Reference:	SBP-2009-24
Date Published:	22 Dec 2009
Severity:	Medium
Last Updated:	Thursday 01 January, 2009
Source:	IPS Research Center
Protection Provided by:
Who is Vulnerable?	Kazaa users
Vulnerability Description	Kazaa is a popular peer to peer file sharing application using the FastTrack protocol. Kazaa is commonly used to exchange MP3 music files over the Internet. However it can also be used to exchange other file types, such as videos, applications, and documents. The use of Kazaa may circumvent the organizational security policy.
Vulnerability Details	Peer to peer Internet traffic, such as Kazaa, slows critical business applications on corporate networks. It lowers employee productivity as they take time away from their work to download music and videos. This sort of traffic also significantly increases companies Internet communication costs and requires them to purchase additional bandwidth.