WASTE

WASTE is a friend-to-friend (peer-to-peer) software and protocol that enables encrypted communication and file sharing among small groups of trusted users. It was developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003. After its release it was withdrawn from distribution by AOL, the company that owns Nullsoft. The original page was replaced by a statement that the program was unauthorized to be released, even though the software was originally released under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

The name WASTE refers to the novel The Auction of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon, where it is used as an acronym for "We Await Silent Tristero's Empire", a postal service company.

Several developers modified and updated the WASTE program and protocol. The SourceForge version is considered by some to be the "official" of development, but there are several forks being WASTE again the most active.

Description

WASTE is an instant messaging and file sharing protocol. Its behavior is similar to that of a virtual private network, connecting to a group of trusted computers, determined by the users of the network. This type of network is commonly called a darknet. It uses strong encryption to prevent third parties from reading the content of messages or files. The same encryption is used to send and receive instant messages and files, stay connected, browse directories, and search for files.

WASTE networks

WASTE networks are decentralized, this means that there is no central server or hub where all users connect. Users must connect to each other individually. Typically, this is completed by sharing the RSA public key, ensuring that the computers are reachable through the appropriate ports (one or more parties must have the IP address and the port that can be reached by the other), and writing the address IP and port of someone on the network to connect to.

Once connected to the network, public keys are automatically exchanged between members (as long as there are enough members configured to forward and accept the public keys), and the nodes will attempt to connect to each other, hardening the network (decreasing the probability that if a node is disconnected, a part of the network will collapse or be closed), as well as increasing the number of possible routes from a given point to any other point, decreasing latency and the necessary bandwidth to communication and file transfer.

Since WASTE connects small, private, and not large, public groups, the web search function is one of the fastest of all decentralized P2P applications. Its instant messaging and file sharing capabilities are much more like AOL Instant Messenger than typical file sharing programs. Network members can create public and private chat rooms, send instant messages to each other, browse other members' files, and exchange files, with either party being able to initiate the transfer. The drag and drop operation in the chat sends the files to their destinations.

The recommended size for a WASTE network is between 10 and 50 nodes, although it has been suggested that the size of the network is less important than the ratio of nodes that redirect traffic and those that don't. With Justin Frankel's original client there are groups that are already over five years old, it is not uncommon for stable networks to host several terabytes of secure content.

By default, WASTE listens for incoming connections on port 1337. This port was probably chosen for the leet connotations.

Since there is no central server, WASTE networks typically employ a password or passphrase, also called a "network name" to prevent collisions. That is, a member of one network connecting to a member of another network would connect the two networks. By assigning a unique identifier (passphrase) to the network, the risk of collisions can be reduced, especially with the original clients.

Nullnetting

List of connected users.

nullnets are passwordless networks. These types of networks can be easily linked to each other by lacking a password. This increases the size of the network, forming a public place to exchange ideas and files. It is impossible to know how many nullnet networks exist, since it is necessary to know a user of the network in order to join.

Strengths

• The connections are secured through the exchange of RSA public keys, allowing communication and data transfer to be safe between known (trustful) customers.
• The distributed nature of the network means that it does not depend on any central server for the operation of it in contrast to other peer-to-peer networks where it is necessary to connect to a server to get the list of customers and shared files on it. This means there is no vulnerability point in the network.
• There is no administrator in the network group; all members of a network can do the same actions, such as inviting other members to the group. No member may expel another member of the group or exclude him from public chat.
• WASTE may offend your protocol, so it's harder to detect your use.
• It has a function called "Saturate" (saturate in Spanish) that generates traffic randomly. This makes analyzing traffic much harder.
• Each node automatically determines the route with less latency, balancing the load. This also improves privacy, because packages usually take different routes.