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viraldrome



Registered: 09/21/18
Posts: 4,049
Loc: Parts Unknown
Last seen: 3 hours, 34 minutes
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Do I really need a VPN for torrents?
#26513706 - 03/02/20 10:26 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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I decided to start downloading torrents again, I stopped because I was keeping this computer "clean" no porn sites, no sketchy downloads etc, but it's getting old and I will be getting a newer one soon so I stopped caring much about it. So how much do I need a VPN to download torrents? I don't care about copyright strikes, I don't want to get hacked though. How dangerous is exposing my IP address? I downloaded lots and lots of torrents safely over the years, none recently though, and now the warnings about VPN's are everywhere. Is this just a scam to get me to get a VPN or a real danger? Opinions welcome
-------------------- Lysergamides I have tried so far: 1P-LSD, 1cP-LSD, ALD-52, AL-LAD, LSZ, ETH-LAD, MIPLA, EIPLA, 1cP-AL-LAD
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Alan Rockefeller
Mycologist

Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 48,266
Last seen: 11 hours, 48 minutes
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Re: Do I really need a VPN for torrents? [Re: viraldrome] 3
#26515640 - 03/03/20 11:28 PM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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A VPN won't keep you from getting hacked. If you are going to get hacked it, will be from a vulnerability in your torrent software, or more likely, by running a backdoor downloaded in one of your torrents.
Make sure you are using the newest version of a secure torrent client.
If you can use checksums to make sure the torrents have not been modified from what they are supposed to be, do that.
A lot of things people torrent have backdoors built in - if you run something you torrent, you are trusting the person who made or edited the package to not backdoor you, and you can't trust random people not to do that.
The best way to stay secure is to run any software you torrent on a separate computer that doesn't have direct access to the internet. That way if you do get backdoored, the backdoor won't be able to send your keystrokes/data to the attacker.
If you are torrenting music or movies, you need to make sure that your music / movie players are running the newest version which doesn't have security holes and are regularly updated by their authors.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




Registered: 05/12/07
Posts: 69,297
Loc: The Inexpressible...
Last seen: 1 hour, 8 minutes
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Re: Do I really need a VPN for torrents? [Re: viraldrome] 1
#26515702 - 03/04/20 12:51 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Ive heard that certain ISPs track torrent downloading by looking at specific ports being used and some even will block your downloading. Im not sure if a VPN would fool your ISP but it might
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Hobbyist
Citizen


Registered: 08/15/10
Posts: 805
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Re: Do I really need a VPN for torrents? [Re: LogicaL Chaos] 1
#26518020 - 03/05/20 06:12 AM (3 years, 10 months ago) |
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Without a vpn your ISP will likely report you for pirating copywrighted material.
You generally get one or two warning letters before litigation.
-------------------- Everything i say is completely hypothetical...
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