Downloading torrents is certainly not as popular as it used to be but people still do it. The fact you may be able to watch a movie free of charge before it is even available in your town’s movie theatre may sound appealing, we wanted to highlight that this is illegal and your actions will have consequences.
In this blog post we are not going to focus on the consequences, we are sure you already know what happens to the bad guys. We want to stress on the type of information you are sharing with the world while downloading torrents;
Username and Password
Very often torrent websites require you to create a profile before you are able to download a torrent. Therefore you are forced to come up with a username and password. Having in mind people don’t enjoy using multiple passwords some folks end up literally giving their username and password without a fight. Imagine what hackers who crack software for fun could do with your personal information. It feels like getting a wolf pack to guard your sheep.
IP Address
You are sharing your IP address with both seeders and leechers. Almost every torrent client has the option to see details about the peers you are connecting with. Sharing your personal IP address with complete strangers is not the safest thing. Not all peers are there to help you, hackers masked as seeders/leechers are lurking around harvesting IP addresses.
ISP – Internet Service Providers
Your ISP knows what you are doing. Even though it is NOT in their interest, sometimes they are forced to share information with the law enforcement. Your ISP provider will not hesitate to share information about you when pressured by the authorities. After all torrents can be heavy and ISP providers are certainly not very happy when they see you abusing the unlimited data stream they offer you.
Traffic Information
Getting to download an actual torrent is not an easy task. You have to go through a whole bunch of shady websites so you can get to the point where you will download the torrent you want. There are a whole lot of ‘download’ buttons that download everything else to your device but the desired torrent. Even if the content you want to download may not be illegal, you share all your traffic information with the website admins. Remember what we discussed about the wolf packs.
Social Media channels
Torrent websites sometimes offer you perks when following them on social media. This immediately gives an idea to everyone interested about the type of people that support those websites. Even if you are not downloading or distributing any illegal content, engaging with them on social media channels and being active on torrent forums may drag you towards a group of people you don’t want to be in.
Peer to peer file sharing is not always illegal but you have to keep in mind that very often cheap things end up being expensive. You should be fully aware about what you exposing to the world on your journey to the next episode of the Big Bang Theory.
If you are in store you don’t just go and grab a DVD and walk out, you pay for it. The reason why you don’t steal is not only because you are a good person but also because you are afraid that your action may ruin your life. Nowadays, being on internet is similar to walking on the street or in the store, your actions are being monitored – let’s make sure you don’t embarrass yourself before the whole world.
Panda Security specializes in the development of endpoint security products and is part of the WatchGuard portfolio of IT security solutions. Initially focused on the development of antivirus software, the company has since expanded its line of business to advanced cyber-security services with technology for preventing cyber-crime.
5 comments
You really have to change your “How to protect yourself when downloading torrent” title to “How to lose your time by reading this shit”… You don’t even explain the existence of VPN providers which offers a way to secure people’s privacy.
Hi Kako,
We are sorry you didn’t enjoy the information provided on our post and appreciate your feedback. However many others might find it informative.
Best regards,
Panda Security.
now thats a lie
I create separate passwords for such things. So, I think it is not a big problem to me. I must consider other things.