Bit Torrent security

[ThePiston]

I'm about to install Bit Torrent... does it have any known security problems?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Depends on what client you're installing.

Azureus > *

- M4H

 

[ThePiston]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Depends on what client you're installing.

Azureus > *

- M4H

please expand on that

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: ThePiston

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Depends on what client you're installing.

Azureus > *

- M4H

please expand on that

Sure.

Bittorrent (BT) is a protocol for data transfer - like FTP.
And just like FTP, you can have multiple clients. (CuteFTP, FlashFXP, FileZilla)

For BT, Azureus is the best in my (and many others) opinion. Some people suck at using computers and cause it to consume too much CPU/RAM, but see the first part of that sentence as to why.

Other crappier clients include ABC, Shareaza, Bitcomet, Bittornado, and the original Bittorrent Client.

- M4H

 

[ThePiston]

I first downloaded the orignial... didn't know what I was doing. I didn't know there were different clients... new to it. Thanks.

 

[ThePiston]

So this http://prdownloads.sourceforge...xe?use_mirror=optusnet is what I should be installing?

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
So this http://prdownloads.sourceforge...xe?use_mirror=optusnet is what I should be installing?

Along with the latest Java2 Runtimes (J2RE), yep.

- M4H

 

[Nothinman]

I'm about to install Bit Torrent... does it have any known security problems?

Depends on what you plan on using it for. When you download something via BitTorrent your IP is given to a tracker so that you can participate in the swarm, if you're downloading less than legal items there's a good chance that you can get caught if you happen to be using a tracker that's being monitored by the owners of whatever you're stealing. There's also no encryption, so if your ISP wants they can monitor what you're downloading too. There are tools that try and hide you from people like the MPAA by not allowing packets to go to their known IP ranges, but I wouldn't want to be one trying to argue that one in court.

If you use it to download legal material, then the security ramifications are small. You do need to forward some ports to your machine so that you can get decent speeds so if there is a problem with your particular client there's a chance you could be broken into. But I would say you're much more likely to get spyware via IE than anything via BT.

Oh and Azureus sucks because it's java, why force yourself to use something like that when there are better alternatives?

 

[Weeeman]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire

Originally posted by: ThePiston
So this http://prdownloads.sourceforge...xe?use_mirror=optusnet is what I should be installing?

Along with the latest Java2 Runtimes (J2RE), yep.

- M4H

Quick question M4H

I've been using BitComet simply because it is what a friend suggested, how much "better" is Azureus?

I know you can limit upload, anything else spectacular?

 

[madthumbs]

I'd like to know also what makes it better than Bittornado or TorrentStorm. My experience with Azureus wasn't good concidering the tracker wasn't properly recieving my upload stats properly which was a common problem at a particular site where it mattered. It also makes me wonder... "why java?".

 

[n7]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
I'm about to install Bit Torrent... does it have any known security problems?

Errr...there is nothing secure about torrents.

 

[Kasper4christ]

in Azureus you can control EVERYTHING,
you can control upoads on a torrent by torrent basis, while not changing the overall upload rate
(say you want to seed a particular TV epp more than a linux distro you just got on a whim, instead of the two of them getting equal upoad speeds)
also, you can limit the download speed of a particular torrent, so as to not saturate your download bandwidth and allow for other uses of speed, such as online gaming and web browsing while having bit torrent running at the same time.
you also have the abilty of choosing what particular files you can download, instead of the whole torrent
aZ has built in uPnP capabilites that allow the program to directly communicate with your uPnP router, eliminating the need to manually open ports in your firewall etc.
a built-in tracker in aZ allows you to set up your own bit torrent files and host them for yourselves, even make your own torrents.
why Java? becuase its a great cross platform lang. there are versions of aZ out there for linux even, prolly could run on a mac (shudder)
(Nothinman, show me a better client? please, do it)
basically, aZ is more robust with more features etc. than your run of the mill Bt Client.
happy?

 

[silverpig]

I used Azureus for a while but I guess I suck at computers and it often (always?) takes up 99% cpu (well, javaw.exe did). I even set it to the lowest priority, but it still sucked up my cpu and a ton of memory. This was only with the latest version though. The features were nice, but I use ABC now. Not as much control, but it behaves well.

 

[Nothinman]

(Nothinman, show me a better client? please, do it)

I use bittornado. The ncurses version because I can wrap it in screen and control it via ssh, it has upload limiting and that's really the only 'feature' I need. I'm not a fan of python for my own usage, but I'd rather use it over java any day.

 

[dbk]

i prefer ABC

 

[Gurck]

Any other clients able to keep an updated list of "unsavory" IPs and block them? I use Azureus for this reason, but would rather stay away from java if I could...

 

[imported_FishTaco]

Originally posted by: Gurck
Any other clients able to keep an updated list of "unsavory" IPs and block them? I use Azureus for this reason, but would rather stay away from java if I could...

Bitcomet can use ipfilter.dat

 

[Cheetah8799]

Originally posted by: ThePiston
I'm about to install Bit Torrent... does it have any known security problems?

The biggest one is that your IP address is NOT hidden. So if you decide to use bittorrent to download illegal stuff, be aware that you can be tracked.

 

[noxxic]

Originally posted by: Kasper4christ
in Azureus you can control EVERYTHING

Based on Kasper's description of Azureus, basically, if you don't need:

_individual_ adjustment of _download_ speed
the built-in tracker
to run the same client in your Linux, Windows, etc.

You can also do the same with the smaller BitComet.

 

[dpodblood]

Why does nobody use utorrent?

 

[metalmania]

something fishy here...from a digged up old thread

 

[Bill Brasky]

Holy necro thread.

 

[Barfo]

lol@necrospam. Reported.

 

[TAandy]

Why does nobody use utorrent?

wondering that myself!!

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

uTorrent seems like the best Torrent client if you don't want features or anything flashy.