Torrenting can be really gratifying, but it comes with some very real threats. While there are some great torrent sites out there to help you with all of your P2P sharing, it is important to remember that, without proper protections, torrenting can make you vulnerable to phishing scams, hackers, cyber-attacks, and malware.
The best way to guard yourself against threats is to use a VPN. A reputable VPN uses military-grade encryption to encrypt your traffic so that it is completely concealed and protected online. With a VPN, your actual IP address (which gives away your location) is masked and replaced with an IP address from one of the VPN’s remote servers. This way, no one can trace any online activity back to you or access any of your data.
A VPN can also unblock restricted sites, giving you access to torrenting sites that may be geographically blocked or hard to access.
While there are many VPNs that claim to be the best choice for torrenting, not all will measure up; and the risks of using ineffective VPN services are far too great to take a chance on an unvetted VPN. NordVPN has been proven to have some of the top security features and torrenting capabilities, and, best yet, it is simple enough for anyone to use.
Check out the rest of this article to learn more about why NordVPN is a must-have for P2P file-sharing.
How NordVPN Makes Torrenting Safe
When you are using a torrent client, like BitTorrent or UTorrent, a VPN is the smartest way to keep all of your activity anonymous and away from prying eyes.
With NordVPN, all of your online activity is sent through a private NordVPN server, creating a secure tunnel that encrypts your traffic so that it won’t be compromised, and can’t be leaked or shared with your service provider, attackers, or any third parties. Your entire online footprint is encrypted with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, so any data that is seized will be completely encrypted and indiscernible.
Whenever you are doing any kind of P2P activity, your IP address is visible, which leaves you vulnerable to malware and attacks. When you use a VPN server, your actual IP address is masked, and you are given a new IP address that comes from one of the VPN’s dedicated P2P servers. This lets you torrent without giving away your location or identity.
NordVPN also has a strict no-logs policy, which means that it will never keep or share any of your information with government agencies, your ISP, or third parties.
How to Set Up uTorrent with NordVPN for Safe Torrenting
Check out these 5 simple steps to set up uTorrent with Nord VPN:
1. In your uTorrent app, go to “Options” > “Preferences“
2. In the new window that opens “Preferences“, click on “Connection” and choose “Socks5” on the “Proxy Server Type” option.
3. In the “Proxy” space, type in a NordVPN server address that is torrent-friendly. You can choose from these options:
amsterdam.nl.socks.nordhold.net
atlanta.us.socks.nordhold.net
dallas.us.socks.nordhold.net
dublin.ie.socks.nordhold.net
ie.socks.nordhold.net
los-angeles.us.socks.nordhold.net
nl.socks.nordhold.net
se.socks.nordhold.net
stockholm.se.socks.nordhold.net
us.socks.nordhold.net
4. Under “Port” enter “1080” and make sure the following options are all selected to ensure maximal security:
Authentication
Use proxy for hostname lookups
Use proxy for peer-to-peer connections
Disable all local DNS lookups
Disable features that leak identifying information
Disable connections unsupported by the proxy
5. In the authentication fields, type in your NordVPN username and password, click “OK,” and begin torrenting!
Why Is NordVPN #1 VPN for Torrenting
When it comes to torrenting, using NordVPN is one of the very best choices. Here are some reasons:
Encryption: NordVPN sends all of your online activity through an encrypted tunnel. This AES 256-bit encryption ensures that your online footprint is secure.
Kill Switch: If you somehow lose your internet connection, the last thing you want is for your activity to be exposed. NordVPN’s Kill Switch stops your internet connection so that your data will never be leaked if your connection to your server fails.
No-Logs Policy: NordVPN has a verified zero-logging policy. On top of this policy, NordVPN is located in privacy-friendly Panama (which has no data retention laws).
Customer Satisfaction: The NordVPN app offers easy, intuitive setup and functionality. NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can see for yourself that it is effective before fully committing to a plan.
Speed: NordVPN offers super-fast download speeds on all of its servers, so you will have no delays when downloading files, no matter what the size. Also, when connected to one of the Nord Servers, your ISP cannot see that you are torrenting and, therefore, cannot throttle your speed. This feature is also great if you want to stream your favorite TV shows or watch Netflix.
DNS Leak Protection: NordVPN will protect you from any IP and DNS leaks.
Specialized P2P servers: NordVPn has hundreds of specialized servers dedicated to peer-2-peer sharing. NordVPN’s specialized servers can be used with a variety of torrent client options, like BitTorrent or u Torrent.
As NordVPN is one of the best clients in the market, it does not offer a free tier. Yet, if you want to check out why it is our #1 option, you can try out this hack for a NordVPN free trial.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Free VPNs for Torrenting
While there are tons of free VPNs that will claim to serve your VPN needs, the fact is that many of these will not only compromise your torrenting speeds but also your safety and security.
While premium VPNs, like NordVPN, offer unlimited data usage and bandwidth, free VPNs often have a data and bandwidth cap, so you may find that you aren’t even able to finish downloading a single file you are trying to torrent.
The most troubling aspect of free VPNs is the lack of privacy and security. Free VPNs need to make money somewhere, and the way they often do it is by selling your information to third parties and by allowing annoying pop-ups, which may contain malware and risks.
Using a reputable VPN like NordVPN is a much better choice when you are connecting to a torrent client, such as BitTorrent. This way, you have unlimited bandwidth, no caps on data usage, and top-notch safety and security features.
FAQs
When torrenting, your private IP address is shared with anyone who is torrenting the same file, increasing your vulnerability to cyber-attacks. Because of this, your internet provider will try to halt your P2P traffic. A VPN can ensure that your IP addresses are all masked, so your ISP and your fellow torrenters cannot see your actual IP address. This way, you cannot have your connection throttled, or compromised.
Another useful purpose for a VPN while file-sharing is to help you access geo-restricted torrenting sites. NordVPN is great at circumventing geo-blocks with its widespread dedicated P2P server network.
NordVPN has dedicated P2P server types — servers specialized for torrenting — that will send your traffic through an encrypted tunnel. Your actual IP addresses are then replaced with an IP address that corresponds to the VPN’s server.
NordVPN uses military-grade 256-bit encryption so that your traffic if accessed somehow, will not be able to be deciphered.
To ensure you are always protected, you can opt for your VPN connection to initiate automatically as soon as you turn on your computer, and an automatic Kill Switch will “kill” the internet if there is ever a dropped internet/VPN connection. This kill switch ensures that your private data and IP address will never be leaked.
NordVPN has the option of using a double VPN server type that sends your activity through the second layer of protection and encryption, so your information is encrypted twice, making it even more secure.
A VPN, like NordVPN, will mask your IP addresses and replace them with addresses from a secure server. A VPN, like NordVPN, also has an automatic kill switch feature, which will make sure your address is not leaked if the internet fails. A VPN, in conjunction with a torrent client, is the only way to keep your IP hidden.
Conclusion
Using a VPN server, torrenting can be both enjoyable and safe. You can count on NordVPN to give you great download speeds and top safety and security assurances for all of your file-sharing.
We hope you enjoyed this article. And, remember, for ultimate safety when P2P sharing, choose a VPN, like NordVPN, every time.
