Transmission Encryption

Security from what? Is the concern unwanted "peers" getting your files, unwanted intrusions into your computer, or having your traffic recognized as a bittorrent? There's some discussion of what encryption buys you over on the Transmission forum...

 

No matter how you cut it, there isn't much security available in P2P networking. While a blacklist may prevent you from connecting to known IPs, the record companies, movie companies and others you're attempting to avoid with the blacklists have countless other IPs that aren't blacklisted and also contract third party companies.

With BitTorrent you're connecting to other anonymous members making it easy for anyone to see who is downloading a specific file. One of the jobs I did from time to time when I worked for Time Warner Cable years ago was process abuse complaints. The RIAA, MPAA or whoever connects to a torrent file just like anyone else downloading the same file and they can see all the IP addresses downloading and seeding it. They then take those IPs, send them off to their ISPs who simply plugin the IP and time and date into a tool that spits back the customer information which they send back to the request issuer (MPAA or whoever) who then send their cease and desist order or file a lawsuit.

Bottom line is, if you're worried about security or doing something you think may not be totally legal, BitTorrent is not a smart move even if you are using a private tracker with encryption and a blacklist.

 

I haven't read the link in the Transmission forum or anything like that, so I don't know if what I will say is what was said there.

All that encryption is for when it comes to torrenting is to stop your ISP's traffic shaping systems from seeing what is in the packets of data, so they can't identify them as torrents, thus they won't throttle your transfer.

They aren't heavy encryptions designed for security. What OldSchoolMacGuy has said is bang on about the actual security of torrenting.

Another thing, if the connection on the other end isn't encrypted (which to be honest it might not be), then you aren't going to get an encrypted connection of course, meaning that your ISP will see that the traffic is a torrent.

 

Sandvine, which Comcast and most other ISPs use, can identify BitTorrent traffic even when it's encrypted. One of my former coworkers from Time Warner works for them now and says the only traffic they ever have any issue with shaping wise is Skype as it likes to hop around from protocol or protocol and port to port.

Comcast doesn't use traffic shaping in areas like the Twin Cities where bandwidth isn't an issue. I can't speak for other areas but those old coworkers that are still there and work in the NOC have said that they tested it some time back (more than 2 years ago) but don't do so now as there isn't any danger of it becoming a strain on the network here.

 

It encrypts outgoing data. Your IP is still visible to anyone associated with the torrent. Encryption keeps people from snooping what you are doing by looking at your data, like your ISP. Your ISP might be able to find out you are uploading pirated material even if you enable encryption. The MPAA, RIAA, etc.. can still tell because you are publicly seeding their material.