Take caution when you download anything from a site you're not familiar with or when using file sharing applications, since you could be at a risk for a number of things:

• downloading a virus [1]
• inadvertently installing spyware [2]
• making all decrypted files on your hard drive accessible
• infringing copyright laws

Protect yourself by knowing Canada's copyright laws [3], respecting intellectual property rights and fair dealing [4]. Another way is to always download from trusted sources by viewing the website's security certificate before downloading to ensure they're legitimate. You can set your browser [5] to prompt for a security certificate before you download anything from a source you're not sure of.