Torrents, Malware & Security

This article contains educational information regarding Torrents, Malware & Security. Created to answer questions surrounding these highly controversial topics. Understanding the risks associated with downloading copyrighted material bundled inside torrents and know how to use security tools needed to avoid downloading malware, breaking the law, as well as the dangers of using Free VPNs.

Outline: Which privacy tools are best before “accidentally” downloading and sharing copyrighted material.
(Apps, Games, Movies, Images, Docs)

Article Bullets

• Remind you which tools are best for surfing the web and downloading malware infected torrents privately.
• How to surf risky torrent websites safely and avoid clicking on malware infected links.
• Use the best VPN without sacrificing your Internet connection speed and compromising your personal data, and prevent you from downloading Malware Infected Torrents.

Types of Malware

Note: When it comes to Torrents, Malware & Security the most common malware is Adware. Malware comes in many forms, here are a few types of malware you could expect to see in downloaded torrents.

• Adware: Designed to serve unwanted ads all over your computer. This method enables the malware author to make money by claiming revenue through clicking on their ads or tricking you into purchasing fake anti-virus software to remove the annoying ads.
• Spyware: Designed to collect personal information from computers and smartphones without the user ever knowing it’s active. Spyware is able to capture keystrokes, personal email addresses, financial authentication credentials, screenshots, web form data, internet usage habits, and other personal information.
• Ransomware: Gain root access to your computer and lock you out. You will need to pay the hacker in the form of Bitcoin or another type of currency to access your data.

Fun fact — In the late 90s, I would purposely infected my “sandbox machines” with the worst malware I could find, just to see the effects it had on the machine. Then I would research how to remove the infections and start over.

Infected Links

Infected links auto execute malware onto your system with with a single click. If malware does not automatically download to your system and flood it with adware and spyware, it re-directs you to another page that hijacks your web browser, installs ransomware, spyware or all of the above.

Dead Links On Torrent Websites

Be careful! Torrent websites are notorious for having dead links. These are links that simply do not work. However, do not let that fool you into thinking all links will behave this way. Letting your guard down on a torrent website could cost you dearly. All it takes is 1 careless click to install ransomware on your system. Ransomware can sometimes be a crippling nightmare to remove.

Surfing Torrents

• Be cautious, and take your time surfing torrent sites.
• Read customer reviews and comments. Negative comments are red flags.
• Turn on your Premium VPN and Real-Time Malware Protection.

Torrent Websites: The most common form of malware encountered on torrent websites is adware and spyware. Malware authors intent is not to completely cripple your system. They need you to purchase their fake malware removal software to fix what they broke. The problem with buying their software, it usually makes things worse. Then your forced to hire tech support as well.

Malware Authors Ultimate Goal

The ultimate goals for malware authors is to get you to spend money or steal your information and sell it. Adding malware to torrents helps them achieve their goal. They have something you want, and they know you will download it. Adware, Spyware and Ransomware are the most common forms of malware that malware authors will bundle into into their torrents.

ISP Throttling

ISP throttling, also known as bandwidth throttling or Internet throttling, is the practice of intentionally slowing down the Internet speeds of certain users or services. Internet service providers (ISPs), do this in order to manage network congestion or to prioritize traffic.

Since our Internet activity passes through our ISPs network infrastructure, Internet Service Providers are able to monitor our browsing activity. This includes everything we download to our personal devices. So when we open our favorite torrent client and begin downloading copyrighted material, it triggers a red flag on our ISPs network and they begin to throttle our Internet connection which forces our downloads to choke.

Internet Service Provider Limitations: The only way I know to get around ISP limitations is by using a VPN. If your ISP detects heavy download activity they will throttle your connection. Using a VPN will make sure that never happens again. The VPN service I had the best experience with is Nord VPN.

Avoid Adobe CC Subscription Fee

Prefer not to pay Adobe’s subscription fee? The last version of Adobe Master Collection was CS6 before introducing their cloud service subscription. If you are lucky, you might be able to find a copy on eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

Trusted Torrent Websites

New torrent websites are popping up all the time. These are my picks for the most active, well known and trusted torrent websites to download your favorite content. Important, before surfing torrents, turn on your VPN and Real-Time Malware software.

1. The Pirate Bay
2. 1337X
3. RARBG
4. TorrentDownloads
5. Torrentz2
6. LimeTorrents
7. KickassTorrents
8. TorrentFunk
9. YTS

The Best Torrent Client

I’ve used all the popular torrent clients since the 90s. To name a few; uTorrent, BitTorrent, Deluge, Vuze and qBittorent. I ended up sticking with qBittorent. It’s the best torrent downloader in the industry. Compared to the rest, it runs on the least resources, easy to use, no bloatware or advertisements, it’s 100% free, secure and open-source. It’s the most secure torrent client I’ve ever used.

Bundle qBittorent with your favorite VPN, I use (Nord VPN Premium) and for Real-Time Malware Protection, I use (Malwarebytes Premium). This is exactly how you torrent privately and safely. An excellent bundle for beginners.

Is Torrenting legal In Your Country

As long as you don’t download and share copyrighted material, torrenting is legal everywhere. The only time it’s illegal is when you share and download copyrighted material without permission. If you get caught downloading and sharing copyrighted material without permission by the author, you could receive a fine or be sent to prison.

This is why active torrent downloaders use a paid VPN services. Free VPN services are not recommended for many reasons, all of which I cover below. To be safe, look up the governing laws on downloading and sharing copyrighted material in your country.

Dangers of Free VPNs

Once again, if you are concerned with Torrents, Malware & Security, free VPN services use complex technologies that are costly to maintain. Since you’re not paying for the service, VPN companies need to use other methods in order to be compensated.

• False claims and compromised security. According to a CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) study, despite their claims, about 18% of free VPNs don’t encrypt your traffic. The others use substandard encryption protocols and have IPv6 and DNS leaks, which means your online activities and data are no longer confidential.
• Getting infected with malware. More than a third of free Android VPN apps contain some type of malicious software, meaning some of the most popular in your Google search are unsafe. If your computer is infected, hackers can steal your private data such as passwords or files. They can even make your device unusable.
• Data collecting and sharing with third parties. Like many other online businesses that offer free plans, free VPNs use embedded tracking to sell your data to advertisers or even give third parties access to your data without your permission. A large number of free VPN plans contain third-party tracking libraries.

A premium VPN will offer a risk-free money-back guarantee. Try it out, if you don’t think it was worth it, cancel. However, the difference in performance alone should be enough to sway you. Premium VPNs offer excellent performance, legit security and reliable service.

Free VPNs Compromise Privacy And Security

Using free VPNs may be tempting, but it’s important to consider the potential drawbacks and risks. Free VPNs may not have the same level of security as paid VPNs, and they may be more likely to collect and sell your data to third parties for advertising purposes. Additionally, free VPNs often have limited server options and slower connection speeds, which can make your online experience less enjoyable. For those reasons, it’s recommended to use a paid VPN service that offers robust security and privacy protections.

Do VPNs Prevent Malware

While using a virtual private network (VPN) can provide some level of protection against malware, it is not recommended to rely on a VPN for malware protection. VPNs are designed to encrypt your internet connection, making it more difficult for attackers to intercept your data and trace your location. If it’s malware protection you want, use other security measures in addition to a VPN to protect against malware. Keep your operating system and malware software up to date and avoiding suspicious websites and email attachments.

Are VPNs legal

The legality of VPNs varies from country to country. In the United States, VPNs are legal and widely used by individuals and businesses to protect their online privacy and security. In countries like China, Russia, and Iran, the use of VPNs are illegal, unless approved by the government. The United Arab Emirates and North Korea, the use of VPNs are heavily restricted. Research the laws in your country before using a VPN.

The Best Premium VPN: There are many premium VPN services that are able to create a secure and private connection. However, not all VPN services are compliant or created equally. Without diving into all of the differences between all of them, the only VPN I would recommend is Nord VPN.

Copyrighted Material

Let’s use Adobe Master Collection for this example. Many years ago, Adobe Master Collection CS6 was probably some of the most downloaded torrents on the Internet. If you weren’t searching for Photoshop CS6, you were searching for the entire suite of applications. If you were careful, you used a premium VPN service, Real-Time Malware Protection and the fastest Internet connection you could afford.

Piracy

I’ll use Adobe Corporation for this example. Adobe, along with every other major software company, takes piracy very serious. Adobe has a team of lawyers that handle copyright infringement litigation. They take pirating their software very serious. If Adobe learns you’ve been downloading their software, they will contact you via emails, followed by phone calls. If those actions are unsuccessful, you will receive a subpoena to appear in court. Usually in the form of an officer knocking on your door. If you choose to ignore the subpoena, they will issue a warrant for your arrest. My suggestion is to respond to the email.

Privacy And Security

If you are concerned about your privacy and security, and Torrents, Malware & Security, prefer to do things like, surf porn, download copyrighted material, hide your location and IP address, keep your personal data private, or worried your ISP will throttle your connection because you like to download torrents. Nord VPN will fix all of that.

Conclusion

Two things to take away from this article. #1. The best way to protect your privacy is with a premium VPN, not a free one. Free VPNs are garbage. I recommend using the same VPN I use, Nord VPN. #2. Use Real-Time Malware Protection. I recommend the same one I use, Malwarebytes Premium.

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