By Mike McCurry and Mark McKinnon
Former White House Press Secretary; Former Political Consultant to President George H.W. Bush and Senator John McCain

As if politicians don’t have enough to worry about, it turns out that Internet users who download authentic-looking campaign videos for Barack Obama and John McCain may actually be exposing themselves to a massive invasion of privacy and possible identity theft.  That’s the word from the online security firm Webroot, which reports that some file-sharing networks are under attack from malware that masquerades as campaign videos from the two presidential candidates.

Webroot says downloading the videos triggers a fake alert that the user’s computer is infected and urges him or her to buy bogus antivirus software.  But that software actually enables criminals to tap into the infected machines and steal social security numbers, bank accounts, home addresses and more.

The latest scam is one reason that Webroot’s Paul Piccard says that file sharing networks now “pose some of the greatest security risks on the Internet.”  That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with P2P file-sharing itself — social networking sites have big malware problems as well, and spam and malware over email remains the largest threat by far.  But P2P’s unique and valuable ability to link together so many computer users makes it an attractive target for criminal abuse.   It also means file-sharers need to become more aware to make sure they aren’t unintentionally sharing their private data.

And, if the end of the political season means scammers won’t be able to hide behind presidential candidates, it doesn’t mean the end of the mischief.   It will just bring new types of trickery –- something the scammers have been very good at.

A 2007 investigation by the U.S. House’s Committee on Government Reform and Oversight easily tapped into files being shared inadvertently by P2P users to obtain personal bank records, income tax filings, attorney-client communications, corporate strategy documents, and even military operation orders.

Uninformed file-sharers also can make themselves vulnerable by downloading fake movie and music files.  In May of this year, McAfee’s labs reported more than 500,000 instances of a new Trojan virus that masqueraded as popular MP3 or MPG files.

The truth is that many file-sharers are unaware of the dangers, especially when using P2P networks to make copies of illegal video and music.  In many cases, these file-sharing platforms broadcast users’ IP addresses for the world to see.  Whether they know it or not, many consumers using these networks are unwittingly sharing a veritable gold mine’s worth of highly personal data with any spammer or cyber-crime network that happens to stumble by.

Think of it this way: using P2P to download illegal files is like going to a crowded black market bazaar where you are required to slap a gigantic digital nametag (your IP address) on your forehead for everyone to see.  And if you’re unknowingly sharing files over P2P, you might as well walk down a busy street wearing a sandwich board that advertises your passwords, bank account information and Social Security numbers.

The good news is: it doesn’t have to be this way. Once people recognize they’ve left the privacy door open, most of them will close it.

A study released this month by the Entertainment Media Research (EMR) in the U.K. found that 75% of those who copy illegal music using P2P would simply stop if their ISP advised them that their online activity was harmful.  The survey which looked at the digital habits of U.K. consumers also found that the abundance of new online music services had convinced many to forego illegal music downloads altogether for safe and legal alternatives.  Consumers are clearly announcing that they’d rather buy music legally, if you just give them the opportunity.

And, that opportunity is fast becoming reality thanks to an explosion of online digital content that is fast, safe, reliable and legal, sometimes even using P2P platforms that have been engineered with privacy in mind. A new study by Multimedia Intelligence estimated that legal P2P traffic would grow ten times as fast as illegal traffic over the next five years.

For the first time ever, content creators and those who distribute content over the Internet are coming together to find new and safe ways to deliver video, movies, and music to consumers.  They also are looking for better ways to protect privacy and fight net pollution like malware and viruses in all its forms.

Nobody has all of the answers, but one first step is the recognition that we face common risks that endanger all of us who use the Internet.  We need to honestly consider all of the options for protecting ourselves and also for maximizing opportunities.  And, we need to involve everybody who participates in Internet commerce. Reaching across the aisle for common solutions isn’t just for politics.

Mike McCurry is a veteran political consultant who served in the White House as press secretary to President Bill Clinton from 1995-1998. Mark McKinnon is a veteran political consultant who has worked for President George Bush and Senator John McCain’s candidacy for President. They are both Co-Chairmen of Arts and Labs; Arts Labs is collaboration between technology companies and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products to consumers, www.artsandlabs.com.