- A torrent client makes an outbound connection to a seeder with an ephemeral port, then the server associates that connection to your private/internal IP address via connection tracking (conntrack.
- A VPN can protect your web traffic from prying eyes, but some won't allow you you to indulge in your BitTorrent habit. These are the best VPNs for BitTorrent, whether you're a seeder or a leecher.
- QBittorrent is an open-source BitTorrent client featuring an IP filtering system that’s very popular in the torrent community. It is based on the libtorrent-rasterbar and Qt toolkit. In addition to being very.
Torrenting opens up a world of possibilities for people – unrestricted access to entertainment, information, and software you need to make it big in your line of work.
How to Hide your IP Address in Mac OS X (Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Snow Leopard etc.) How to Hide your IP Address in Chrome This entry was posted in Proxy Tutorials and tagged torrents, uTorrent on April 12, 2014 by admin. A VPN is an online service that hides your IP address, and also encrypts your Internet traffic. Simply put, it gives you exactly what you need to hide torrenting from your ISP. Here’s what you need to know: When you connect to a VPN server, it replaces your IP address with its own address.
However, not everyone sees torrenting in a positive light – especially ISPs. So, you need to learn how to hide torrenting from your ISP to enjoy peace of mind.
If you want to learn about that, we’ll cover everything you need to know in this article.
DISCLAIMER: Before we start discussing this topic, we need to make one thing clear – we here at CactusVPN don’t encourage or condone illegal torrenting.
With that said, we are aware that some people can only get the things they need (entertainment, work-related software, school documents, etc.) with torrents.
So we know this can be a sensitive legal issue, but we also understand that some people have no choice but to resort to it
Why Should You Bother Hiding Torrent Traffic from Your ISP?
There are plenty of reasons to do that:
- If you live in a country where torrenting is illegal or a sensitive legal topic, you can end up in serious trouble – like having to pay huge fines or even facing jail time.
- If torrenting goes against your ISP’s ToS, they can terminate your service if they catch you downloading torrents – even if you’re just a “first-time offender.”
- Any seeder or leecher can see your real IP address. It might not seem like much, but that little address can leak a lot of personal info (what city you live in, what your ZIP code is, who your ISP is). We’re not saying something bad will 100% happen, but some cybercriminals can use that info to target your ISP with phishing attacks. So, it’s worth keeping that in mind.
- Copyright trolls might collect your IP address from torrent clients, and forward the personal info it reveals to lawyers and copyright agencies.
- Your ISP might throttle your bandwidth if they think you’re using too much data to download torrents.
Can Your ISP See All Your Torrent Traffic?
Not directly.
While it’s true that your ISP can see a lot of what you do online, they can’t easily see BitTorrent traffic – unless you use an outdated torrent client with no encryption, of course.
That doesn’t mean you’re safe, though.
For one, your ISP can check usage patterns to see if you’re downloading torrents – like multiple TCP connections and simultaneous upload streams. Also, high bandwidth usage can be another dead giveaway.
Moreover, even if you browse HTTPS-encrypted torrent websites, your ISP will still be aware of it. Sure, they won’t see what content you browse, but they’ll know which torrent websites you visit since DNS queries usually don’t use encryption, so they’re in a readable format.
What’s more, if they’re feeling up to it, your ISP can closely analyze your HTTPS traffic to get an idea of what you’re doing. They just have to take a look at the destination, timing, and size of your data packets.
And lastly, if your ISP really wants to, they can just pay torrent monitoring agencies to let them know if an IP address that belongs to them (so, your ISP address) shows up in a Swarm (the total number of peers on a torrent).
So yeah, if torrenting is a legal issue in your country, your ISP might go through all of that to make sure you’re not breaking the law or their ToS.
How to Hide Torrenting from Your ISP the Right Way – Use a VPN
A VPN is an online service that hides your IP address, and also encrypts your Internet traffic.
Simply put, it gives you exactly what you need to hide torrenting from your ISP. Here’s what you need to know:
- When you connect to a VPN server, it replaces your IP address with its own address. So, nobody will be able to see your real address in the torrent client anymore.
- A VPN establishes a secure “tunnel” between your device and the VPN server. Any traffic that goes through it is completely indecipherable to your ISP thanks to the VPN’s encryption.
Safe to say, your ISP will have no idea you’re downloading torrents. At most, they’ll just know you’re using a VPN. And that’s not exactly illegal – well, not in most countries at least.
Does a VPN Hide Torrenting from ISP All the Time?
Normally, it does.
However, if you pick an unreliable VPN service, you’re gonna have problems.
The main thing you need to worry about are DNS leaks – basically, when your DNS queries (the websites you browse) leak outside the VPN tunnel. If that happens, your ISP will know you are using torrent websites.
The best way to stop that from happening is to use a VPN service with built-in DNS leak protection.
You should also use a website like DNSLeakTest.com to make sure your VPN connections are doing well. Feel free to use our VPN test guide to check for other issues too.
Oh, and use the ipMagnet tool as well. With it, you can make sure there are no torrent IP leaks when you use a VPN.
Are There Other Ways to Hide Torrenting Traffic?
Yeah, there are other options you can try, though they are not as efficient as VPNs. Still, you can try them out together with a VPN if you want to enjoy even more privacy.
Some good ideas include a seedbox, Anomos, or a proxy, but we won’t get into them right here since we already have an article discussing those options.
Torrent Client Encryption vs. VPN Encryption
Some torrent clients actually come with built-in encryption, and turning it on is pretty simple. It varies from client to client, of course, but you normally just have to head to Tools>Options>BitTorrent, and enable encryption or turn on an option that says you require encrypted peers.
So, should you use torrent encryption instead of a VPN?
Not really. BitTorrent encryption just isn’t as strong as VPN encryption. For comparison, BitTorrent normally uses encryption keys between 60 and 80 bits. That’s significantly weaker than VPN encryption keys that vary between 128 and 256 bits.
Also, some torrent clients don’t even encrypt all your data packets, just their headers. That makes it easier for your ISP to pinpoint torrent traffic.
And according to some claims, there is a way for ISPs to block torrent traffic even if you use torrent encryption. It’s called the Sandvine application, and it can apparently intercept and block BitTorrent traffic.
All in all, torrent encryption just isn’t very effective.
Still, if you really want to be safe, you can just use torrent encryption alongside VPN encryption. But keep in mind you’ll likely get slower speeds since your torrent will be refusing connections to peers who don’t use encryption.
How to Hide Torrenting From Your ISP Like a Pro? Use CactusVPN
If you need a reliable VPN, we’ve got your back. Our service offers military-grade encryption, high-speed servers, versatile protocols, and built-in DNS leak protection.
Also, we provide unlimited bandwidth, and don’t keep any logs. Plus, we offer access to a Kill Switch too, so you never have to worry about your torrent traffic leaking – not even if your VPN connection goes down.
So go ahead and pick a subscription plan. Once you do that, just download our user-friendly apps, and you’re good to go.
Special Deal! Get CactusVPN for $3.16/mo!
And once you do become a CactusVPN customer, we’ll still have your back with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Bottom Line
While your ISP can’t outright see BitTorrent traffic, they can still detect it if they want to. And if they do that, they can terminate your service, or – worse – get you in legal trouble.
That’s why you need to learn how to hide torrenting from your ISP.Luckily, the solution is simple – just use a VPN. The service will encrypt your Internet traffic, making it completely unreadable. So, your ISP will have no idea what you’re downloading or browsing.
Related Posts
The world might be gravitating to online streaming, but peer-to-peer file sharing through torrents remains ever-popular. It's important to stay safe while torrenting by using a virtual private network (VPN), even when sharing something entirely legal, but which clients are the best for the job?
ProPrivacy has compared several BitTorrent clients out there to find the cream of the crop, so you don't have to! Keep reading to discover which one is best for you.
What are the best BitTorrent clients?
There are many BitTorrent clients out there to choose from and not all of them were built equal. Take a look at what ProPrivacy considers the best of the best to torrent with:
qBitTorrent
qBitTorrent is the best torrenting client out there, being both open source and full of features
PROS
- Open source
- Lightweight
- Efficient
- Can bind to VPN
- Fully featured
CONS
- Can't think of any
As a long-term Vuze fan, it took quite something for this lightweight open source BitTorrent client to replace Vuze on my desktop. One reason I stuck with Vuze for so long is the ability to bind the torrent client to my VPN interface.
Although not strictly necessary if your VPN software features a kill switch, I have always appreciated this extra layer of security. It prevents the client downloading torrents when the VPN is not active.
qBitTorrent not only supports this feature, it makes it much easier to implement. This was a big factor in me making the change, as was qBitTorrent’s lean-and-mean 100 MB or less install size (exact size depending on platform). There is no bloat with qBitTorrent!
Despite this, qBitTorrent features just about everything most torrenters will need. This includes BitTorrent protocol encryption, torrent prioritization, torrent querying, selective content download, torrent creation, remote access, and RSS subscription. You can search for torrents from within the client, and the built-in media player is handy.
qBitTorrent is 100% free and ad-free. It is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. For a more detailed look at this excellent software, including instructions on how to bind qBittorrent to your VPN interface, please check out 5 Best VPNs for qBittorrent.
Transmission
Transmission has overcome older problems to build a reputation for itself as a great torrent client
PROS
- Open source
- Lightweight
- Tons of features
- Pretty
- Available natively on many obscure OSs
CONS
- Not much (vulnerability should be fixed by the time most of you read this)
Transmission started life as a Mac and Linux-only BitTorrent client, where it built up a formidable reputation. Windows users can now also get in on the act. Although a very capable BitTorrent client, the main draw of Transmission is its beautiful user interface, complete with Growl notifications for Mac users.
But it’s not all about looking pretty. Transmission features webseed support, BitTorrent protocol encryption, watch directories, tracker editing, global and per-torrent speed limits, and more. It also supports optional add-ons that can expand its feature-set. These include RSS subscription tools and a Kodi plugin.
Transmission has recently hit the headlines thanks to a vulnerability that can be exploited by hackers. I discuss this a little later in the article, but a patch is available, and the issue is very easy to fix yourself, anyway. I have therefore decided to not let this problem affect Transmission’s ranking in this 5 Best guide.
Transmission is 100% free and open source. It is available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux (many distros), FreeBSD, Gentoo, and more.
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The Transmission Vulnerability
A security researcher discovered a flaw in Transmission that could allow hackers to execute malicious code on targets’ computers. In theory, this could allow them to completely take over the infected system.
The flaw took advantage of lax security in Transmission’s remote web access feature. Note that this is a proof of concept attack, and there has been no evidence of it being exploited in the wild. The current version of Transmission has already implemented a fix.
Alternatively, if you wanted to be sure, the flaw is easy enough to fix for yourself. If you don’t use the remote web access feature, simply turn it off! Go to Preferences -> Remote and uncheck 'Enable remote access.” If you do use the remote web access feature, then change the default password to something secure. Easy!
Note that the security researcher who discovered the flaw has hinted that other BitTorrents clients may also be vulnerable. It is probably a good idea to check similar settings in whatever client you are using.
Vuze
Vuze might not be as lightweight as others in this list, but its feature-packed approach will appeal to some
PROS
- Ridiculously fully featured
- Can bind downloads to VPN
- Lots of plugins available to increase functionality
- Built-in video player
- Great Android apps
CONS
- Somewhat bulky and resource-heavy
- Ads
- Tries to install crapware
- Only partially open source
- Interface could be prettier and more intuitive
Vuze is a granddaddy of BitTorrent clients. It is no longer open source, and it creaks somewhat under the weight of its myriad features. It is, in other words, the polar opposite of lightweight clients such as qBitTorrent.
But who said a shed load of features is necessarily a bad thing? Most torrenters will never use all the tools available, but there is really almost nothing Torrent-related that Vuze can’t do. This includes being able to bind Vuze to your VPN adapter, but also loads more funky stuff such as content discovery through automated subscriptions, having an integrated media player, remote management, and much more.
You can convert files to multiple formats using Vuze’s drag-and-drop interface and analyse your downloads using a wealth of statistics and visualizations. Vuze is a power user’s dream.
On the downside, Vuze is resource-heavy and rather ugly (especially when compared to Transmission!) Its clunky interface is also showing its age. This situation is not helped by the inclusion of ads in the free version, or by the fact that you need to be careful during installation if you do not want to also install a load of crapware.
Although Vuze is primarily free, a premium version is also available for $29.90 USD per year. A Vuze Plus subscription removes the ads and provides built-in anti-virus scanning, a DVD burner, and 'play now' support. It is, admittedly, pretty funky!
This also brings me to the point that, despite its open source roots, Vuze is now closed source proprietary software. It is worth noting that reports of Vuze’s demise appear to be very premature. Vuze 5.7.6.0 was released in October 2017 and is fully functional.
Unlike the desktop client, the excellent Android app is lightweight and ad-free. A pro version is now available via in-app purchase (about $4), but I have been unable to determine what features this adds (and am too skinflint to shell out the money necessary to find out!).
Vuze Remote is a handy app for Android that allows you remote control your desktop torrent downloads.
Vuze is available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux, and Android.
Popcorn Time
Popcorn Time has taken a leaf from Netflix's streaming book to present a video-only torrenting service
PROS
- Instant streaming of high quality BitTorrent content!
- Open source
- Very smart interface
- Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA support
- Available on just about every platform
CONS
- Only for video content
All the other programs on this list are BitTorrent clients. You download a .torrent file or click on a magnet link, and the content downloads to your computer where it is stored locally.
Popcorn Time is different; It is an open source app that uses BitTorrent technology to stream high quality video content to all major platforms. This means that unlike with traditional BitTorrent clients, you can watch a film or show without waiting for the download to complete. You might be thinking 'is Popcorn time safe?' While it can be dangerous for your computer, using a VPN can keep your machine secure.
It is notable for having a very slick and intuitive interface, and for providing access to a huge library of up-to-date content.
Although primarily a streaming platform, content can also be downloaded locally (and some content is always cached). Various versions (forks) of Popcorn Time are available, but I strongly advise only using one of the forks recommended in Best VPN for Popcorn Time guide.
Specific features vary a little depending on which fork you use, but steaming to your big-screen TV via Chromecast, Airplay and DLNA is pretty standard.
Popcorn Time is free, and respectable versions are free from ads and other crapware. It available for Windows, Mac OSX/macOS, Linux, and Android. PopcornTime.to even has an iOS VPN App that can be installed without jailbreaking your device.
Deluge
Deluge has no ads, compared to some of the more popular torrent clients out there
PROS
- Open source
- Lightweight
- Lots of features
- Expandable via plugins (incl. RSS)
CONS
- Less fully featured than some other clients
Like qBitTorrent, Deluge is a fairly conventional but lightweight and open source BitTorrent client. Its feature list is not huge, but should be more than enough to satisfy most users. Features include remote web management and support for magnet links.
Functionality can be further extended with a range of both in-house and third-party plugins. Highlights include plugins for RSS support, Growl notifications, streaming while downloading, and more.
Deluge is completely FOSS, with no ads or crapware. It is available for Windows, OSX, Linux (various distros), and FreeBSD.
Check out our 5 best Deluge VPNs page for a list of the best services to use with this BitTorrent client.
Why not uTorrent or BitTorrent?
uTorrent and its almost-identical sibling, the official BitTorrent client, remain the most popular BitTorrent clients in the world. It is, therefore, reasonable to ask why I have not included it in this best 5 BitTorrent list. Please note the different between BitTorrent as a protocol and the BitTorrent client to avoid confusion.
Both uTorrent and BitTorrent are closed source and supported by ads. These ads can be turned off if you delve deep enough into the software’s settings, but this is still very irritating. It is my personal view that this means uTorrent has all the disadvantages of Vuze, but not as many useful features.
So if you want a slightly clunky closed-source ad-supported BitTorrent client, but one that compensates for this by offering a wealth of features, then use Vuze. Other opinions are available.
What is BitTorrent?
BitTorrent is a popular peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing protocol. Instead of being stored on a centralized server from which you download, torrented files are shared among many other BitTorrent users. Popular files can easily be shared among hundreds of users in this way.
When you 'download” (which is something of a misnomer when it comes to torrenting) a file using the BitTorrent protocol, what you are actually doing is sharing small pieces of it with everyone else who is downloading that same file.
A file is 'downloaded” once you have all the pieces needed to reassemble that file. It is considered good form to 'seed” (continue sharing) the file for a while after it has been downloaded, in order to help others reach 100% completion.
Why use a Client?
Although still very popular, BitTorrent use has declined somewhat in recent years. This is in part thanks to the wealth of legal streaming options available from providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, hulu, and many more. The popularity of illegal options, such as Kodi and streaming websites, is also a factor. For top tips and the best VPN for Streaming, take a look at the guides below:
The more traditional method of downloading using a BitTorrent client, however, continues to offer some major advantages:
- BitTorrent content is downloaded locally, so it is available forever and can be easily physically transferred between devices.
- Literally, any kind of digital content can be download – not just video content. This includes software, images, eBook, games, and… you name it!
- But when it does come to video content, the quality is often considerably higher than streamed content. This is because there is no need to keep file sizes down to avoid buffering issues, since content is played locally.
- BitTorrent is a very efficient and resource-light way to share and promote your own content with others.
Many Linux distros find torrent links are the best way to distribute their software without having to host it on costly servers.
Use a VPN when torrenting
BitTorrent content is shared among multiple home computers. This is not good for privacy because sharing files with a bunch of other random 'downloaders” on the internet is hardly private.
Using the right software (which includes many popular BitTorrent clients), it is very easy to see the unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of every other person also sharing ('downloading”) the same file.
As demonstrated in Vuze above, I can see the IP addresses of every other person who is downloading the same files as me.
Is torrenting legal?
Yes, torrenting is entirely legal, while the content you share might not be. Torrenting is just a protocol that allows you to share things peer-to-peer. Since laws differ around the world, it's difficult to say what is legal and what isn't, although sharing copyrighted material without the express permission of the owner almost always errs on the side of illegal.
It's pretty easy to catch those that torrent illegally shared content, because the nature of torrenting means your IP address is on show to anyone else sharing the file. All the copyright holder, or a third party representing them, would need to do is notify your internet service provider (ISP) to take legal action against you.
This is why it is important to use a VPN to protect yourself online.
Why should I use a VPN when torrenting?
A VPN will protect you while downloading because:
- A VPN will hide your IP address from other downloaders. As mentioned in the previous section, torrenting puts your IP address on display for others that are sharing the file. Connecting to a VPN server masks your IP address to protect your privacy.
- A VPN encrypts all internet traffic between your computer and the VPN server. This means that your ISP cannot see what you've been getting up to online. Of course, deep packet inspection will reveal that you have been downloading, but they will be none the wiser as to what.
VPNs with robust logging policies will have nothing to hand over to the authorities, no matter what pressure they may come under. A VPN will also unblock websites if they are censored for any reason.
So as long as P2P is permitted, a VPN is very effective at protecting your privacy while downloading.
For a more in-depth look at how VPNs work, please check out VPNs for Beginners – What You Need to Know. For a more in-depth guide to using a VPN while torrenting, check out Best VPN for Torrenting guide.
BitTorrent protocol encryption
Some BitTorrent clients support BitTorrent protocol encryption. These include Transmission, qBitTorrent, and Vuze. It is a feature designed to hide the fact that you are torrenting from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
VPNs also do this, as well as hiding your real IP address from other torrent users and anyone else watching on the internet. Furthermore:
Analysis of the BitTorrent protocol encryption has shown that statistical measurements of packet sizes and packet directions of the first 100 packets in a TCP session can be used to identify the obfuscated protocol with over 96% accuracy.
This means that even the most basic Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) techniques can determine that you are using BitTorrent. Now, it is true that DPI can also easily detect VPN use (unless obfuscated), but while there are many legitimate reasons to use a VPN, there is only one reason to use BitTorrent protocol encryption…
Using BitTorrent protocol encryption is therefore probably better than using nothing at all, but using a VPN provides much better protection while downloading.
How do I use a BitTorrent client?
One reason for the popularity of online streaming services (including via the use of Kodi boxes) is the perception that torrenting is a geeky pastime that requires technical know-how. In reality, however, torrenting is very easy:
- Download and install a BitTorrent client from the list above.
- (Optional but strongly recommended) Ensure you have a VPN running. This will bypass censorship of torrent sites, hide your IP from others you fileshare with, and hide your downloads from your ISP. Check out our VPN for Torrents guide for a list of recommended services.
- Visit a BitTorrent website. These websites host links to torrent files. You can browse for content that interests you, or search for something specific. Many websites include user-reviews of torrents, which can help you pick good torrents.
- When you have found the content you want, simply click on the torrent link or magnet link. The torrent will open in your BitTorrent client and begin downloading.
- When the download is 100% completed, enjoy! Some BitTorrent clients have media-players built-in, but VLC will play pretty much any media file you can throw at it.
Seeding
BitTorrent is a decentralized file-sharing platform. In order for it to work, users share files with other users. This happens while you download a file, but it is considered good form to leave your BitTorrent client open after you have finished downloading a file in order to benefit other users.
This is called seeding, and it is considered good netiquette to seed to a ratio of at least 1:1 (i.e. upload the same amount of data you downloaded). Most BitTorrent clients will display the seed ratio of downloaded files.
Other Stuff
You don’t need to know much more about torrenting than the information provided above. If you ever wish to explore the subject further, however, this glossary is a good introduction to the jargon used.
Movie torrents, in particular, have a great deal of jargon associated with them. To make informed decisions about the content you plan to download, it is useful to familiarize yourself with it.
One thing to watch out for on public torrent sites is sponsored links. These are often prominently displayed and are deliberately designed to confuse. They typically point to either commercial direct download sites or Usenet services. Look for a link that specifically says 'Torrent” or 'Magnet Link.”
Find the best torrent sites
Findinf the best torrent sites can be quite difficult these days due to the blocks ISPs imposes on these websites. However, check out our best torrent sites article for a list of our favorite in 2021.
Conclusion
If anything, the torrenting crowd is over-served by great BitTorrent clients! Indeed, this top five list hardly even scrapes the surface of the many that are available. The fact that most of them are free and open source software (FOSS) warms the cockles of my heart!
With such a wealth of options available, I’m sure many of you will have a favorite that is not listed here. If so, do please write in to tell me and other readers why you think it is so great!
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