Sony fights spread of stolen data by using “bad seed” attack on torrents

According to a source at Sony that spoke with Re/code, the company was using Amazon Web Services to run hundreds of virtual machines and distribute fake file versions to disrupt the Guardians of Peace (GoP) file dumps. That is supported by analysis from security firm Adallom, which tracks the signature of files on torrent streams and other sources in order to watch for data breaches from client companies. [...] The method is similar to a controversial approach taken by the now-defunct company MediaGuard, which contracted with entertainment companies to spread bogus copies of files across torrent sites and other filesharing streams to disrupt online piracy of songs and videos. “They’re seeding the underground market with false content to make it harder for people to get real movies and songs,” [VP Tal Klein,Adallom] said. “It’s not meant to punish anyone—just to make it hard enough to get the real files that it’s a high enough opportunity cost that people go out and pay to download a legitimate copy.” - Sean Gallagher,Ars Technica [via/web:http://streaming-tv.us]