The Internet contains an unlimited number of websites and pages. While most websites are harmless and their primary focus is to share information, some websites are malicious and will stop at nothing to acquire your personal information or cause harm to your computer. These websites actively spread viruses and malicious programs in an attempt to cause as much harm as possible.

Halp! I need protekshun!

PeerBlock is an open source IP filtering application partially based on the PeerGuardian code and is useful for two types of users: 1) Users that don’t want to risk intrusion to their system, and 2) Users that download and actively use P2P applications such as BitTorrent or uTorrent.

PeerBlock is designed to prevent your computer from making undesirable connections to other computers, such as machines that are flagged for Anti-P2P activities, Corporations, Governments *Gasp!*, Spyware, Advertising Agencies and Data-Collection Companies.

I originally downloaded PeerBlock because a colleague of mine recommended that I try it out. I was quite curious about how it worked and how many requests my computer actually receives during the course of a day. After installing the program and letting it run for a few weeks, the number of results was surprising. Whether you’re worried about intrusion or you’re an avid P2P-er, PeerBlock can help keep you safe online. PeerBlock doesn’t guarantee your safety, but it is a step in the right direction. PeerBlock is available for most versions of Windows, including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.

PeerBlock automatically updates itself.

PeerBlock periodically downloads a set of publicly available lists from I-Blocklist that classifies IP addresses in order to basically block communication with any “bad” IP addresses. It takes advantage of the collective wisdom of communities and websites that classify certain IP addresses as being malicious or untrustworthy. Also, since the community is constantly updating these lists, you can feel comfortable knowing that PeerBlock will always be using the most up-to-date information.

PeerBlock is easy to use.

What I really appreciate about PeerBlock is that it’s retarded simple to use. All you need to do is install the program, specify the types of lists you would like to be protected from (P2P, Spyware, Advertising, Educational/Universities, Government) and that’s it. It runs in the background and is completely unobtrusive, preventing your computer from connecting to known “bad” sources – not just for torrent or P2P networks, but also for general web surfing as well.

I would recommend heading over to the PeerBlock website and reading their FAQ. Even if you don’t download and install it, there is still a lot of useful information that can help you understand the risks of using the Internet as well as possible ways to protect yourself.

Don’t do anything stupid, people.

In some countries, downloading copyrighted material is illegal and the copyright holders can sue you. I can almost guarantee that some of you reading this will use PeerBlock to protect yourself from being tracked online. It should be noted that PeerBlock does not provide total security and if you’re violating your ISP’s terms of use, or engaging in illegal online activity, this program will not keep you completely safe. If you choose to download copyrighted material from the Internet, be aware that you may be breaking the law.

Tags: I-Blocklist, P2P, PeerBlock, Torrent, Windows