Free Riding in Peer-to-Peer Networks

Free riding in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks poses a serious threat to their proper operation. Here, the authors present a variety of approaches developed to overcome this problem. They introduce several unique aspects of P2P networks and discuss free riding´s effects on P2P services. They categorize proposed solutions and describe each category´s important features and implementation issues together with some sample solutions. They also discuss open issues, including common attacks and security considerations.