If you’re not worried about breaking the law when you pirate Game of Thrones, then at least worry about breaking your computer.

HOW IS THIS A WORRY?

Well, first, downloading copyrighted content is illegal. The issue is that hackers know how big Game of Thrones is as a show – and this gives them a larger surface to target. Adding to this, when torrenting content, people will often fail to check the extensions of the downloaded files where malware could be hiding.

Cyber criminals are on full swing for the release of the final GoT series and you need to look out for Exploit kits with links to the Torrents, doggy .zip “viewers” and .exe “players” are all ready and waiting for searches. Stolen content sites are some of the most dangerous places on the internet and the perfect place to test your anti-virus and if your PC is up-to-date.

Hackers will use any current trend to create an opportunity to attack as they always do, knowing that some people will not check the extensions of the downloaded files, hackers hide viruses in the files that will cause havoc to a machine. Such malware could track your keystrokes or extort sensitive and personal data such as credit card details, addresses and personal shopping habits to be sold on the black market.

WHAT TO DO.

It is impossible to torrent safely, however, you can take the standard security cautions but if you are not cybersecurity educated you are in very dangerous cyber shark (with lasers) waters. In that case it is advisable for you to use legitimate services with a proven reputation for producing and distributing TV content to view and download shows.

In addition, it’s possible to tell what’s dodgy by checking the file extension. Even if you download TV show episodes from a source you consider trusted and legitimate, the file should have an .avi, .mkv or mp4 extension, and remember to never download the file if it is an “.exe.”

We acknowledge that it is sometimes possible to become tricked by a site that looks legit. It’s important to pay extra attention to a website’s authenticity before streaming or downloading any shows. Confirm that a website is genuine by double-checking the format of the URL or the spelling of the company name before starting any downloads, and ensure the link starts with ‘HTTPS://’

Avoid clicking on suspicious links such as those promising an early view of a new episode; check the TV-show schedule and keep track of the show from the legitimate services.