TV news station backs down on P2P virus claims

7News reported how during its 'exclusive' test it downloaded Limeware software only to find it contained password cracking software. See here

. Our report miffed INQ reader Dominic Webb who contacted the 7News hack, Tony Kovaleski, and called him out on his claim.

Sure enough, after a bit more digging it turned out the TV hack had got it all wrong and confirmed that Limewire did not include any password cracking software.

"The error in my findings was the result of a unique license file downloaded by the installation of LimeWire on our computer. This license file is not a threat to a computer, Kovaleski said.

It turned out that his malware detector had triggered on a unique GNU license downloaded by LimeWire to 7News' computer. This licence had a "digital fingerprint" (SHA-1 hash) which was associated with only one application in a database of thousands of software products which turned out to he an older version of a password cracker.

Limewire installed this unique license file on 7New's system. Kovaleski established that it was this license which triggered the alert, not the installation of the actual application pwl9x.

The telly company has since modified its 'exclusive' story. Next week it might be a writing a P2P gives you cancer story, so watch carefully. µ