[theanomaly]

Right. So let's say we have file A, which is an innocuous image file, and file A', which is a malicious image file, where MD5(A) == MD5(A'). Based on the MD5 prefix collision attack, I should be able to construct two such files A and A'.

I get an edgemesh site to accept file A (perhaps the site allows me to upload a user avatar, upload an image on a forum, etc). I then behave as a node in the mesh, and receive file A. When I get a request to replicate file A to someone else, I send them file A', they check the MD5 hash, and the hash matches. Not seeing how that doesn't work?

It is admittedly a narrow attack, but I think it works.

[gruez]

why not upload the malicious file directly?

[theanomaly]

Because you could bypass filtering / approval mechanisms, or automatic image processing that could defang a malicious image.