Qbittorent Anonymous Mode Question (github.com)

submitted 6 months ago by slighting4295@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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Is this mode needed if you're using a VPN to hide your IP address? The page states only the following:

If you're using VPN, proxy or I2P, you probably want to enable Anonymous Mode.

What I would like to know is why the developer statement is true? And does it affect download/seeding speeds?

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[-] slighting4295@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

you’ll likely find your upload/download speeds are slower, mainly because DHT & uPnP are typically disabled

If anonymous mode was disabled for a public tracker, are having DHT & uPnP still enabled dangerous? And what if qbittorent is bound to a network interface (the VPN), wouldn't all qbittorent data still have to passthrough the VPN regardless?

I kind of get that uPnP can open up ports without user intervention, but I've seen VPNs offer specific ports during connection so I'm not to worried about that.

[-] Flatworm7591@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 months ago

I think it's generally recommended if you are security conscious to manually forward ports rather than allow uPnP to be enabled on your router. There's been cases where IoT devices or apps can open sensitive ports to your network without your knowledge. And the uPnP protocol itself was found to be flawed a few years ago: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/06/upnp-flaw-exposes-millions-of-network-devices-to-attacks-over-the-internet/

Çadırcı reported his findings to the Open Connectivity Foundation, which maintains the UPnP protocol, and the foundation has updated the underlying specification to fix the flaw. Users can check with developers and manufacturers to find out if or when a patch will be available. A significant percentage of IoT devices never receive updates from manufacturers, which means the vulnerability will live on for some time to come.

But you know, it depends on your risk profile. For most people, it's probably fine. Depends how paranoid you want to get.

Binding your VPN connection to qbittorrent is a good idea, for sure, if you use a VPN. I usually keep DHT enabled with a bound VPN connection and a manually forwarded port using Proton VPN. I'm going to try out anonymous mode to see if it affects speeds any, since it looks like it doesn't impact uploads or connections any more. That's a bonus :)