Hi there

I would like to prevent to the best of my ability getting malware or virus when torrenting. I know there is never 100% certainty of not getting one, but i’d like to mitigate it. I’d like to ask your advice/expertise.

These are the practices I use. Please build on them if you think there is room for improvement and how.

  • First off, I use linux (transmission) and only download media (music, movies), no software. I know this already lowers the risks significantly since most malware are on .exe for Windows, however I am aware mp3/mp4 and mkv files can still embed malware to exploit VLC vulnerabilities and also Linux.

  • I use Proton VPN with kill switch in advanced settings - no internet (at all) allowed when the VPN is not connected.

  • I limit opening the downloaded media in the PC. After seeding for a few months, I usually transfer them into an external HDD and delete them from the PC. Media may be used in a TV/phone for viewing/listening.

  • I have downloaded torrent media going into a separate internal SSD which is encrypted (obviously unencrypted when torrenting). This probably doesn’t do much, but I get somewhat piece of mind when I am not torrenting and the ssd is locked.

  • I use normally pirate bay org and get the torrents with the higher number of seeds.

I understood joining some private tracker may help, but I found it difficult to join. Any advice and recommendations are welcome!

  • so0t8@lemmy.orgOPEnglish
    4·
    7 hours ago

    Your best bet is to join MAM. From there, you can progress to Aither and other sites within a reasonable amount of time through the invite forums.

    Could you elaborate what is MAM?

    • theskyisfalling@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      6·
      6 hours ago

      MAM is myanonamouse which is a private tracker focusing on books and audiobooks. It is generally seen as one of the easier trackers to both get into and maintain your ratios on and is a good place to learn how private trackers work.

      From there it helps you get into others by having a proven track record as well as being able to get invites via the MAM forum sometimes from other users etc.

      I love the place as a lot of what I get is audiobooks anyway, it is super friendly and people will help you out as long as you have done your due diligence and aren’t asking stupid questions that are covered in their already extensive documentation and forum.

      • nimble@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        1·
        2 hours ago

        They really want your real home IP during registration?

        You must be on your primary home IP for the initial registration. You can not use VPNs, proxies, mobile IPs, or public wi-fi IPs for the interview.

        I assume to verify you haven’t registered before but yikes