Encryption query: full stream or header only?

[AegisXLII]

I can't seem to figure this out -how does uTorrent implement PE? Are only the headers encrypted, or the full stream? And what effect does this have on how/if my ISP can determine what I'm downloading? Thanks.

[Switeck]

uTorrent can encrypt the whole stream between peers/seeds and you.

But some legacy (unencrypted) peers/seeds are allowed if you tell it to.

Tracker communication is NOT encrypted, but is done using HTTP+TCP connections.

HTTPS tracker communication I *think* may be supported, but almost no trackers allow it.

DHT as far as I know is not encrypted either...

Peer Exchange, as part of a peer/seed datastream SHOULD be encrypted if that peer/seed is encrypted.

Similar thread:

http://forum.utorrent.com/viewtopic.php?id=54075

[drkp]

AegisXLII

In wikipedia i found that old version of bitcomet use only header encription, but lots of years ago....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitTorrent_protocol_encryption

utorrent support MSE/PE (message stream encription/protocol encription), that is the same but in utorrent use PE, the other clients use the name MSE, but is the same thing.

utorrent support eencripted and unencripted connection, but i know that support passive incoming connections when the PE is disable. I don't know if suport PE passively for outgoing connections.

PE was implemented for jump ISP protections, but you can read http://www.tcs.hut.fi/Publications/bbrumley/nordsec08_brumley_valkonen.pdf

bittorrent encryption has some weaks, but commonly if you use protocol encription PE of utorrent, you can break some isp restrictions.

But in internet i found some weeks ago that any europe or german ISP now can break Protocol encription of bittorrent, with any type of hardware, but it's rare.

I recomend to use utorrent with PE in force and unchecked "allow incoming legacy connections", but only after you test that PE with enable option dont work.

This recomendation i found in any other place but I don't remember where