Torrenting is all fun and games until you accidentally get infected by malware, your ISP starts throttling your connections, or worse, you get served a DMCA notice. While torrenting can give you unrestricted access to music, movies, and even books, it has a horde of privacy and security issues.
When you connect unprotected to a torrent client and start downloading, your IP address is visible to the whole swarm sharing that P2P activity. While it may not seem a big deal, your IP address is your online identity. Therefore, anyone with the correct tools and knowledge can track your location and monitor your internet activity, like your ISP, which uses that information to throttle your connection.
Moreover, since most torrenting platforms are forums where anyone can upload unmonitored content, many torrent links are laden with malware. A malware infection ultimately means loss of data or even loss of hardware. Therefore, privacy-conscious netizens practice safely torrenting through some safety and security tips mentioned in this article.
How To Torrent Safely: Best Privacy Tips
To mitigate the risks of torrenting, use some privacy tools that secure your device from malicious actors, prevent speed throttling issues, and encrypt the data so that you become untraceable. Knowing which torrent websites and clients one should use can help download torrents. But there are other ways of doing it securely. Below are some factors and tips to consider when downloading torrents. So, here you go:
1. Use a robust VPN
Using a compatible VPN with torrenting allows downloading torrents safely. A VPN’s several security-boosting features, such as a kill switch and split tunneling, strengthen the torrenting experience. It provides unlimited bandwidth that increases data caps, and connecting to the P2P optimized servers ensures fast downloading speed. Furthermore, a VPN offers strong encryption standards and protocols that safeguard torrent traffic from ISPs and other prying eyes.
Installing a VPN for torrenting is first installing it on your device. Since several VPNs are available on the market, deciding which is best can be challenging. Below are the VPNs that ensure a safe, fast, and reliable torrenting experience.
NordVPN: its top-ranked VPN provider, 5000+ servers, all security features, works with Netflix, Torrenting, Tor, and ISP throttling – 30-day Free trial www.nordvpn.com.
CyberGhost: it offers 7500+ servers around the world, works with torrenting, Netflix and also provides great privacy features. 45-day Free trial available www.cyberghost.com
Surfhark: It’s great with Netflix and torrenting, can bypass ISP throttling, and has great privacy features. 3500+ servers and come with a 30-day free trial www.surfshark.com
Proton VPN: it has 1400+ servers and is loaded with all privacy features. Works with Netflix, Torrenting, Tor, and bypassing the ISP throttling. Free Version available www.protonvpn.com
ExpressVPN: it has 3000 servers around the world and works great with Torrenting, Netflix, and special features for Tor. Offer 30-day Free trial available www.expressvpn.com
VyprVPN: it has 700+ servers in over 70 Countries, works great with Torrenting, Netflix, special features for Tor. Offer 30-day Free trial available www.vyprvpn.com
While the choice remains yours, these VPN providers are known for their robust privacy and security. They ensure your online safety and are keen to provide a speedy connection for fast downloads. However, using it without a VPN will cost you much.
2. Use Antivirus
According to RedefinePrivacy, every day, 230,000 new malware are produced, and amidst this, reliable antivirus software is a necessity. While securing yourself from malware attacks is necessary every time you go online, it becomes crucial when torrenting.
As mentioned above, torrent files often carry malware or a virus, so it is crucial to have robust antivirus protection. There have been several instances when users have been infected with malware by downloading a torrent file.
Since most files on torrent clients are pirated, cybercriminals use this opportunity to infect users with malware. The malware attack starts as soon as you download the torrent file and either takes the form of malicious ads or spyware.
The best antivirus software removes malware or potential threats before they can harm your system and other files.
3. Use a Reliable Torrent Client
The torrent client maintains all the pieces of the torrent file and puts them together so you can get a complete file. Several torrent clients are also available, each possessing different features and functions like torrent websites.
Since most are free, they offer limited features and interrupt your user experience with pop-up ads. The ads can have malware embedded within them and can infect your device. The torrent clients can also be vulnerable and can ruin your torrenting experience.
By using the best torrent client, you can also download torrents securely. Some of the best torrent clients include:
- uTorrent: It is one of the oldest yet most popular BitTorrent clients. It is lightweight, offers fast speed, and has a clean and straightforward user interface. It provides several handful features to ensure an impressive torrenting experience. If you use uTorrent, be prepared for pop-up ads. But you can prevent this problem by upgrading to a premium plan for $19.95 annually.
- Vuzu: It is a closed-source torrent client with an intuitive user interface. Its valuable features, such as magnet link support, integrated search engine, and ability to check search query details, make it one of the best torrent clients to use on multiple platforms. The paid Vuzu Plus version is a better option to use. It is free from ads and has extra features like a media player, DVD burning, and a built-in antivirus.
- BitTorrent is one of the most popular torrent clients, and all credit goes to its appealing and easy-to-use interface. Some fantastic features it offers include limiting the bandwidth, scheduling downloads, and reading previous users’ comments to understand how they have contracted with the torrent file.
These torrent clients are reputable for the reliable torrent files they provide. Also, the content available is of good quality.
4. Precaution for Torrenting
There are several torrent sites on the internet. Unfortunately, most of the best torrent websites are blocked by ISPs worldwide because of copyright violations. An easy solution to get around these restrictions is to use a VPN. However, there are other precautions that you should take before you download a torrent. Some of these practices include:
- Look for torrent files with more seeders because they are more reliable to download.
- Check the file size and other users’ comments on the torrent files.
- Select the single file you want to download instead of the entire folder.
Practicing the above tips can minimize torrent-related risks and ensure a safe torrent downloading experience.
5. Join Private Torrent Tracker Communities
Private tracker communities also guarantee safe, fast, and high-quality torrent downloading. The best feature that private trackers offer for torrenting is security. They keep users secure by allowing new users to access the private torrent trackers with an invitation. Moreover, users can download torrent files without exposing their IP address, thus preventing prying eyes from monitoring their online activities.
The members of the communities review the file size, format, and quality of the uploaded torrent files. If the files don’t meet their standards or someone reports bogus or fake files, they delete them from their servers. This ensures that the private trackers come with high-quality torrents. Besides this, the private trackers’ users seed files as much as possible, thus guaranteeing blazing-fast downloading speed.
6. I2P Network
It is a proxy service that hides your IP address and pretends you are downloading torrent files from another location. But it doesn’t encrypt the data or provide complete anonymity and online protection. As more users download torrent files from a single server, thus it will experience an immense load. Hence, you can have speed issues with the I2P network.
There are a few options available for torrenting on the I2P network. Vuzu is among those few torrent clients with an optional I2P plugin called I2PHelper, which helps download torrents without revealing your true identity.
7. Use SeedBox
Seedboxes are the optimized servers for torrenting and P2P file sharing. In layman’s terms, a seedbox is a company you hire to do the torrenting. Once the seedbox downloads the torrent file, you can download the file from there through other methods. Seedboxes are a reliable method for secure torrenting and come with several benefits, such as:
- Secure web traffic with HTTPS encryption and file sharing with FTP
- Provide high uploading and downloading speeds for torrents
- Ensure high download speed for your file downloading
- Protects your device from potential malware infections.
- Their virtual nature helps bypass ISP throttling and BitTorrent blockage
- Help remain anonymous by hiding your IP address.
You can access the Seedbox service through a torrent client web interface. Once you’re connected, upload the torrent files to the Seedbox computer. Select the torrent file you want to download, and it will download immediately.
While you use the Seedbox service, it isn’t easy to track you back. You use a public IP address that belongs to a data center whose servers use multiple layers of protection to reach the end user. Thus, in this way, you can download torrents without the fear of getting caught.
What are the dangers of torrents?
Torrenting is a popular method of downloading files. However, it has its fair share of risks and controversy. Here are some dangers related to torrenting when you don’t use a VPN.
- Unsafe data: Third parties can see your IP address and browsing history when torrenting. This makes it easy for them to collect your browsing data and sell it to data brokers.
- Hackers: Malicious attackers can use your IP address to target you with DDoS attacks and do more harm.
- Throttling: Some torrent files are enormous and consume large amounts of bandwidth and data. Since your connection is not protected, the ISP may know you are torrenting and throttle your bandwidth.
- Copyright problems: Torrenting mainly involves sharing copyrighted material without illegal permission. So, your ISP could reveal your torrenting data to copyright holders, who could sue you for damages.
- Malware: Some torrents upload malware-infected files. Downloading such files could expose you to data breaches, spyware, viruses, and ransomware. Therefore, ensure you scan your torrent files with a quality antivirus before opening them.
How to check your Torrent IP
Common issues like misconfigured proxies, VPN connection drops, and vulnerabilities in the torrent client software can leak your Torrent IP address. Thus, it is essential to check your torrent IP while connecting to a VPN.
To conduct the Torrent IP leak test, you first need to select a tool from the given options:
After selecting the tool, perform the Torrent IP leak test. Compare the results, and you can then decide whether your VPN is leaking your Torrent IP. The IP address displayed at the end should match the IP address assigned by the VPN. If it does not fit, your VPN is leaking your Torrent IP.
Configure your VPN for Torrenting
Using a VPN is the best available solution for a secure torrenting experience. You must also configure your VPN settings to avoid mistakes and protect your downloading experience.
The following mentioned below are some of the necessary VPN settings you need to configure:
- An automatic kill switch doesn’t come with all VPNs, so check your settings for kill switch protection.
- Run a VPN Leak test to see if your privacy leaks through IP, DNS, Torrent IP, or WebRTC leak.
- Ensure your VPN encryption is secure, industry-standard AES-256-bit encryption.
- Choose some fast and secure VPN protocols for torrenting, such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, or WireGuard.
- Turn on the split tunneling feature. This useful VPN feature filters VPN traffic from regular traffic.
- Enabling these features will help ensure your privacy remains intact while torrenting and that you have the most optimal experience.
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About the Author
Rebecca James is an IT consultant with forward thinking approach toward developing IT infrastructures of SMEs. She writes to engage with individuals and raise awareness of digital security, privacy, and better IT infrastructure.
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