The solution rates files based on their trustworthiness

Jan 16, 2014 13:19 GMT  ·  By

As many BitTorrent users already know, torrent files can often hide malware or other shady applications. Symantec has filed a patent application for a system that’s capable of identifying fake and malicious torrents.

According to TorrentFreak, the application was filed last week. In it, Symantec highlights the fact that the BitTorrent protocol has become highly popular among cybercriminals as a channel for the distribution of malicious software.

The system is based on the analysis of several factors. It can tell if a file is malicious or not depending on its trustworthiness.

For instance, the solution checks the filename, the reputation of the seeder, the reputation of the website that hosts the torrent, and even the reputation of peers. The tracker is also verified.

If a suspicious file is detected, several actions can be taken, including alerting the user of the potential security risk, blocking network traffic, blocking access to the file, quarantining the file, and deleting it.