AS THE world gets anti-social, we have to resort to virtual entertainment to keep the parties going.
But before you download tracks by your favourite DJs, global cybersecurity company Kaspersky warns of the malicious files that might flow in with the downloads.
The global lockdowns due to COVID-19 have seen a surge in Internet traffic, resulting in a heavy demand on the speed of data flow. Those trying to stream music will find the buffering and increased loading times annoying, and may opt to download the content to be played offline. But that might unleash the Trojan horses….
“While listening to streaming or online services does not harm electronic music fans, they should be cautious if they want to download their favorite songs to their devices, comments Anton Ivanov, Kaspersky security analyst.
Kaspersky’s research showed that the names of David Guetta (above at his recent rooftop fund-raising coronavirus relief concert in Miami), Alan Walker, DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, and Martin Garrix are most commonly used by cybercriminals to spread malicious files to capitalise on the interests of electronic music fans.
These files contained a range of threats, including adware and malicious Trojans, used to destroy, block, modify, or copy data, or to disrupt the performance of computers or networks.
DJ and “music obsessionist” Guy Hearn (above), offers his views on keeping the music spinning.
He warns of the risks of downloading digital music, but beyond viruses and malware, he says downloads could also include “pirated content from which the artist gains no benefit or heavily compressed files that deliver poor sound quality”.
It’s one of the reasons I mainly play vinyl.
3 Tips To Note Before Downloading
But if you have heard your favourite DJ playing some tracks you would like to download, here are a few tips.
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- DJs like David Guetta or Calvin Harris play tunes by many artists in their sets, not just their own. They will only be distributing their own work, or a remix they have done. You can easily check their works using a site like Discogs.com which lists their discographies. Any file labelled as “David Guetta” which does not contain David Guetta’s own work, is suspect.
- The original producers of the tune will have their own Bandcamp.com, or Soundcloud.com page, very possibly both. If the track you are interested in is not available here (they have given a copy to the DJ for promotional purposes), then it’s not available. Any files you have found elsewhere are either suspicious or pirated, in some cases outright stolen (artists get their computers hacked too). On the other hand flies downloaded, either free or paid for, from Bandcamp or Soundcloud can be completely trusted. Even David Guetta has a Bandcamp page.
- The producer will probably have a Facebook and/or Instragram page that points fans to other legitimate sources of download, such as the record label they are working with or distributors such as Bleep.com. These sources can be trusted too
Guy Hearn is a record collector, DJ and music obsessionist. He started in public radio in Australia in the ’80s, progressing to playing at clubs, bars and parties. These days he mainly plays for friends, but is in the process of setting up a Singapore-based record label.
