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Is qbittorrent an open portal to my machine?
Hi,
Lo! These many, many years of computerizing and I've never even TOUCHED a torrent! It all sounded a bit too sketchy to me.
But, I'm wading in and I've installed an application called qbitorrent - https://www.qbittorrent.org/
I applied the safety suggestions here already: https://cyberwaters.com/is-qbittorrent-safe/
And, I have a VPN.
So, two-part question, please: are there any OTHER things I can do to make qbitorrent more safe? (Other than NOT torrenting, of course.) Suggested expert configurations, or even other apps I should use in concert?
Second, I've got a ROUGH idea of how peer-to-peer works. So, by installing a program like qbitorrent...and I making my own machine a peer in these transactions? Or, only a shopper. My thinking here is that, if by trying to use a torrent app like qbitorrent, the app itself by default turns my own machine into a peer on the network, then I'd be less interested in that.
I guess, asked another way, my question is: in using qbitorrent, am I just a downloader of things that have a torrent address? Or, does the app also put my files / machine onto the shared roadway?
Sincerely,
OT
Lo! These many, many years of computerizing and I've never even TOUCHED a torrent! It all sounded a bit too sketchy to me.
But, I'm wading in and I've installed an application called qbitorrent - https://www.qbittorrent.org/
I applied the safety suggestions here already: https://cyberwaters.com/is-qbittorrent-safe/
And, I have a VPN.
So, two-part question, please: are there any OTHER things I can do to make qbitorrent more safe? (Other than NOT torrenting, of course.) Suggested expert configurations, or even other apps I should use in concert?
Second, I've got a ROUGH idea of how peer-to-peer works. So, by installing a program like qbitorrent...and I making my own machine a peer in these transactions? Or, only a shopper. My thinking here is that, if by trying to use a torrent app like qbitorrent, the app itself by default turns my own machine into a peer on the network, then I'd be less interested in that.
I guess, asked another way, my question is: in using qbitorrent, am I just a downloader of things that have a torrent address? Or, does the app also put my files / machine onto the shared roadway?
Sincerely,
OT
Last Comment
ASKER
Hi, Eirman!
You wrote:
Sincerely,
OT
You wrote:
You are actively torrenting/acting as a peer/seeding, downloadsI'm confused. Seems like...while I'm downloading a torrent, my own machine is being lent to the process as well. Am I right? Please can you flesh that out a bit more? Does that mean folks can <dir> my own machine while I'm downloading a torrent?!
Sincerely,
OT
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I'm confused. Seems like...while I'm downloading a torrent, my own machine is being lent to the process as well Am I right?
You are correct - While you are downloading a file, you are part of what is called a 'swarm'. Everyone in the swarm can download pieces of the that file from each other. That how Torrents work - it's nothing to worry about - it's quite normal.
If you forcefully stop uploading while you are downloading, you will probably be blocked/banned.
ASKER
Hi Eirman & David,
Safe to do on one's main business machine? Or, should I use a dedicated PC / old notebook?
Do you all use your main machine for torrenting?
It seems to me to be somehow an insecure process?
Maybe I have the paradigm wrong in my mind. Sounds like, from the time I start to download the torrent I'm part of the swarm - and as the pieces get gathered onto my computer, during that time, my own computer is seeding those file pieces.
Once I have all of the torrent downloaded, and I disconnect - I'm out of the swarm, and the file is assembled on my machine.
But, during however long it takes for the pieces to arrive - I'm seeding (whatever pieces I have) as well as leeching?
Do I have it right?
Sincerely,
OT
Safe to do on one's main business machine? Or, should I use a dedicated PC / old notebook?
Do you all use your main machine for torrenting?
It seems to me to be somehow an insecure process?
Maybe I have the paradigm wrong in my mind. Sounds like, from the time I start to download the torrent I'm part of the swarm - and as the pieces get gathered onto my computer, during that time, my own computer is seeding those file pieces.
Once I have all of the torrent downloaded, and I disconnect - I'm out of the swarm, and the file is assembled on my machine.
But, during however long it takes for the pieces to arrive - I'm seeding (whatever pieces I have) as well as leeching?
Do I have it right?
Sincerely,
OT
You are only seeding what you have already downloaded. Nothing else on your PC can be affected/seen/etc.
But, during however long it takes for the pieces to arrive - I'm seeding (whatever pieces I have) as well as leeching?
I have on occasions leeched a single rare torrent for months to finally get it.
(If my VPN fails, NORD terminates qbittorrent).
It's safe to download media files on your main PC.
Caution is needed with Apps/cracks. - That topic strays into banned territory here on EE so I cannot discuss it any further.
ASKER
Hi Eirman,
Yep, yep. Agree, and roger that.
Sincerely,
OT
Yep, yep. Agree, and roger that.
Sincerely,
OT
ASKER
Hi All,
Great info here! I'm wondering - it would seem that this would be easier to do via a cloud client? I did a Google search on
https://www.google.com/search?q=anonymous+torrent+cloud+client
And got a lot of reviews. Somehow I guess I was hoping that there was something simple. Most seem to be fee-based - nothing wrong with that! Are there any that you all know of which are free? Such that I could plug in a hash and then let the site do all the work?
Sincerely,
OT
Great info here! I'm wondering - it would seem that this would be easier to do via a cloud client? I did a Google search on
https://www.google.com/search?q=anonymous+torrent+cloud+client
And got a lot of reviews. Somehow I guess I was hoping that there was something simple. Most seem to be fee-based - nothing wrong with that! Are there any that you all know of which are free? Such that I could plug in a hash and then let the site do all the work?
Sincerely,
OT
having a cloud client seems counter productive paying someone to do the work and then still having to transfer the file from them to you when it's finished.
ASKER
Hi David,
Ah! You're right. Is there any free service like this?
Sincerely,
OT
Ah! You're right. Is there any free service like this?
Sincerely,
OT
These are commonly referred to as seedboxes.
You can download to - and seed from your seedbox without a VPN.
You then download completed files to your PC without needing to bother with a VPN.
It's unnecessarily complicated for me - and I much prefer free!
You can download to - and seed from your seedbox without a VPN.
You then download completed files to your PC without needing to bother with a VPN.
It's unnecessarily complicated for me - and I much prefer free!
ASKER
Hi Eirman,
Ah! Yep. Are there any seedboxes that you've heard of that are reliable? Hopefully free? :D
Sincerely,
OT
Ah! Yep. Are there any seedboxes that you've heard of that are reliable? Hopefully free? :D
Sincerely,
OT
There are loads of good seedboxes out there - none are free (beyond a free trial).
seedhost is quite popular on the private torrent server I use.
seedhost is quite popular on the private torrent server I use.
ASKER
Hi Eirman,
Ah! I see - HARDWARE! Or, perhaps we can call that...Cloudware? :D I was thinking something more long the lines of this:
https://www.torrentsafe.com/
But...something free? Nirvana? El Dorado?
Sincerely,
OT
Ah! I see - HARDWARE! Or, perhaps we can call that...Cloudware? :D I was thinking something more long the lines of this:
https://www.torrentsafe.com/
But...something free? Nirvana? El Dorado?
Sincerely,
OT
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ASKER
Hi Eirman
Ah! But, it is my concentration of novice skill and LACK of common sense that's got me worried. :)))
Yet! Free & safe sounds good. Thanks to you and David for taking the time to lay it out so clearly.
Sincerely,
OT
Ah! But, it is my concentration of novice skill and LACK of common sense that's got me worried. :)))
Yet! Free & safe sounds good. Thanks to you and David for taking the time to lay it out so clearly.
Sincerely,
OT
There is almost every program ever produced somewhere on a torrent site. complete with cracks .. Here you are trusting some unknown 3rd party to not putting a trojan on to your system. I've seen some operating system iso's that added a bunch of junk to the install.
Unless you are confident in your abilities to do a disaster recovery of all of your data better to just stay away from the torrent sites. That or always test what you get in a virtual machine
When it comes to media there is a wide range of quality and you can't tell via the filename.. it may have been shot in 144p but reencoded to 4K and look like garbage.
Unless you are confident in your abilities to do a disaster recovery of all of your data better to just stay away from the torrent sites. That or always test what you get in a virtual machine
When it comes to media there is a wide range of quality and you can't tell via the filename.. it may have been shot in 144p but reencoded to 4K and look like garbage.
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It has a very good inbuilt search facility which has to be turned on manually.
Using your VPN is not an option - it's 100% necessary (I use NORD).
You are actively torrenting/acting as a peer/seeding, downloads whilst you are downloading them.
That is completely unavoidable. You can stop seeding them when the download is complete.
You have complete control over what you share/seed.