Pando (application)

Pando was an application which was mainly aimed at sending (and receiving) files which would normally be too large to send via more "conventional" means. It used both peer-to-peer () and client-server architectures and was released for Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.

Pando shut down its servers and ceased business on August 31, 2013.

As of February 24, 2014 the Pando Media Booster has been hijacked and unsuspecting persons who install a prompted update have their internet browsers hijacked and a virus called the "Sweet Page" browser virus is installed on their machine.

Pando functioned as a normal BitTorrent client. Pando used the to transfer files.

Using Pando was very similar to using any BitTorrent client. A Pando upload began with meta-data stored within a file with a .pando filename extension. Also like BitTorrent, this file could be sent via e-mail or published on a website or exchanged with the recipient in some other way (such as via IM). And, like BitTorrent, the downloader had to first install the Pando software.

Pando used a 256-bit end-to-end encryption method to secure communication among peers.

The primary difference with traditional BitTorrent file transfer operation was that a copy of the shared file was uploaded to Pando's servers and remained there for a limited time, seeding it. In this way, the file remained available even after the original sender goes offline.

A non-subscription version is ad-supported (i.e. it offers to install the SmartShopper malware on the computers of its users). A subscription version extends the capabilities. Beyond the features listed below, there are additional service offerings for high-volume publishers and subscription content delivery

Its common features are:

Pando Media Booster (PMB) is an application by Pando Networks that is used by game and software publishers to ensure safe, complete and speedy downloads of large files. PMB is primarily used to download MMORPGs. Users of PMB participate in a secure, closed peer-to-peer network where users receive pieces of the download package from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) as well as other active users (peers). PMB is usually packaged and automatically uploaded to a PC without the knowledge of the user. Many times users experience drastically slower downloads of these MMORPGs while PMB is installed. Unlike Pando, PMB cannot be used to send files from the user's computer. PMB is only activated to deliver Pando-enabled downloads from commercial sources such as TV networks, software publishers and gaming companies.

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