Comments for Will BitTorrent harm my computer?

Comment from Mark J on 2012-01-03

2012-01-03T21:22:06Z

@John
Torrent triggered malware is no different than any other kind of malware which you can get from running a virus infected program. These kinds of virus are 100% preventable if you don't run any programs or download files which are not from reputable sources.

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Comment from John Mulvihill on 2012-01-03

2012-01-03T20:54:29Z

Leo, in your opinion, is WebRoot SecureAnywhere or similar virus detection software an acceptable defense against torrent-triggered malware?

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Comment from Zwei Stein on 2011-12-19

2011-12-19T14:14:17Z

Leo,
Gotta tell you that this is the first time that I have read an explanation for a computer question that I can actually understand. The words as well as the diagrams were very well put together and I do appreciate this. You see, I am the quintessential computer moron. Thank you very much for your clear, easy to understand explanation. Happy Holidays.

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Comment from rebelstar on 2011-11-30

2011-11-30T11:22:03Z

viruses and legitimate issues are one story, but lately i learnt another stark truth about torrents that it shortens the life span of ur hard disk. But still it is an undisputed issue.

Bogus. Torrents don't shorten your disks life.

30-Nov-2011

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Comment from nick on 2011-03-11

2011-03-11T15:44:12Z

stinking utorrent was recomended to me by a friend and I had to wipe my ps3's memory becuase a file on it had a virus

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Comment from Tiburon on 2011-02-02

2011-02-02T21:41:01Z

There's a one word answer - solution:
UBUNTU
Or any other distro of linux.

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Comment from alex on 2011-01-17

2011-01-17T22:20:24Z

for those who a interested--

try using virtual machine for your downloads. thats what i do. then if you get a virus, you can just delet the virtual machine and start again. viruses in virtual machine cant harm your computer.

Before assuming that a VM is that safe, I think you'll want to read this: Does using a virtual machine keep me safer? - it can help, but there are still real risks.

18-Jan-2011

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Comment from jason on 2009-11-20

2009-11-20T15:04:22Z

i have got bittorent and i can not delete it no matter what i do i am nt the best in the world on a computer so can sum 1 plz help

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Comment from Jerry Knowlton on 2009-11-13

2009-11-14T02:26:04Z

Just buy the software and be legal, then you don't have to worry about virus, malware and the MS secret police....

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Comment from Hector Metzlbach on 2009-11-03

2009-11-03T16:22:06Z

While I don't recommend sharing/downloading pirated software, P2P file sharing is a great way to find obscure music & even old TV shows.
I've been using utorrent for a while & have never downloaded a virus. Like Peter A. states above, If you read the comments & ratings from people who have already downloaded the file you want, you should have no issues. I also use Avast antivirus & Malwarebites Antimalware.

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Comment from Brenda Davis on 2009-11-03

2009-11-03T15:48:45Z

I used both Bit Torrent and Limewire for a little over 2 years but will never use them again. I was hit with a Trojan virus that cost me $218! Never again!

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Comment from Linda on 2009-09-13

2009-09-14T00:29:49Z

I'm terrible with technology. I've never bit-torrented anything before, but I'm curious. If I bittorrent virus-corrupted files onto one computer, then transfer those files to another computer via flash drive, would that corrupt the second computer with the virus?

It depends on a number of things, but yes, in short, it's possible. Avoid viruses, period.

14-Sep-2009

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Comment from Arjun on 2009-05-22

2009-05-22T07:02:17Z

Can the usage of linux(ubuntu) while downloading from torrents, reduce the risk of getting virus,spywares etc??

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Comment from Deb on 2009-01-31

2009-01-31T21:29:18Z

Two wrongs don't make a right.

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Comment from Manaswin on 2007-09-15

2007-09-15T17:54:06Z

Jack, Pick a hammer and destroy his computer. Simple! :)

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Comment from Jack on 2007-02-05

2007-02-06T07:59:28Z

Hi i want to destroy someones computer they have really given me a problem. They refused to pay my money. so I kindly ask you to assist me out i already have a backup of all his files as soon as he pays will return his computer normal

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Comment from ejonesss on 2006-11-02

2006-11-02T12:48:47Z

no it wont harm because the only way to get a virus us for the contents downloaded from the torrent to be packed with a virus.

torrents are not like gnutella,napster or limewire where you share directly.

a torrent you have to pack the files and assign a hash to the files .

and even if someone packs a virus it will be caught by someone and then reported to the tracker and they will remove the torrent and possibly ban the poster

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Comment from Peter Abslong on 2006-11-01

2006-11-01T19:22:28Z

The viruses/spyware myth is perpetuated by organisations who want to control what you can and can't do with your pc and everything on it.
(MPAA, RIAA and others)

If you have installed a good
- Antivirus (eg Bitdefender/kapersky)
- Firewall (not just windows xp firewall)
- Anti-spyware (eg Webroot Spysweeper)
then any potential harm is minimised.

In 10 years of downloading everything from p2p, I have had less than 5 viruses and 25 spyware. All of them detected and removed automatically within seconds my software before anything happens.

The trick is not to be stupid, read other peoples comments where possible to avoid downloading something already flagged as bad.

If retards supported and authorised by the MPAA/RIAA would stop posting fake/corrupt/spyware ridden programs on p2p then the world would be a better place. ;)

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Comment from Leo Notenboom on 2006-11-01

2006-11-01T16:44:23Z

I would consider it roughly equivalent. It depends somewhat on the anti-virus program's architecture and configuration. There's a theoretical hole if a virus spans two different pieces that are downloaded separately. It's a low probability to begin with, and some virus scanners may handle it anyway.

Anti-spyware scans typically kick in when (or after) you've actually run the downloaded file, so that's after the download's done regardless of how you got the file.

Firewall doesn't actually apply in this situation.

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Comment from Mary on 2006-11-01

2006-11-01T14:00:34Z

If the receiving computer has a current and active firewall, antivirus, antispyware, etc. is the risk of becoming infected greater because more pieces have to be scanned? How does this compare to scanning an entire file from a single source?

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