Doesn’t that require downloading software to create the iso, and then having to download software to open the iso file inside the VM? If that is the case, wouldn’t I be better off just drag + dropping the folder into the VM and keep network disconnected for the VM?

specifically the m0nkrus.nfo file:

What would take long? Also, why would there be errors?

thank you for the in depth responses. Do you know if it is follish to keep internet on my host when I have the VM have no network connections, or is it highly recommended to kill the internet for both host and VM?

Thank you. Just to confirm, do I make an ISO from a .7z file?

If I use the VM with no network connections, is there any way for me to manually find malware hidden in the files? I’m not really sure what to look for specifically. I definitely want to try using a VM to more closely inspect the files

I ran my antivirus on the plugins.zip folder and it didn’t detect anything. Then I ran it on the master collection folder, and it also didn’t detect anything, but it suspiciously finished almost immediately although it does only contain the iso (37.5GB), .info file (2.46KB), .sha (85B), .md5 (77B), so I’m not sure. Also, I just posted the virustotal results in this thread.

This was the result: https://imgur.com/a/5rEpIga I’m not sure if that means that it is safe/unsafe, but it seems extremely suspicious.

Wouldn’t it be different since non-official versions are cracked? I’m also not really sure how I would even do so for that plugin since it is a subscription, nor how to do so for the master collection, because it technically does not exist officially.

I mean, is it safe to assume that the torrent from megathread > monkrus > uztracker is safe? I’ve read that you either go genp or monkrus for less chance of malware.

Alternatively, do you think splitting the 37.5GB file into 650MB pieces and then scanning with virustotal would do much good?

Thank you for the advice. Get them separate just because of how few I am looking to get? I feel like there might be more setup required if I get them separately.

I also don’t know if getting them separate would cause me to get redundant installers/managers/rules+patches each trying to apply the same patches.

There we go! I had to enable port forwarding (didn’t know that was required). Thank you.

you can tell the VPN what you want to include/exclude:

Exclude mode: Selected apps and IP addresses are excluded from VPN connection, Include mode: Only selected apps and IP addresses connect via VPN, all other traffic is unprotected.

I had to enable port fowarding, thank you.

What do you mean? Is that not correct? Is it where I have to choose between one or the other?

I meant that if I was unable to figure out a solution, at least I would be able to transfer it to a VM (which apparently Windows Sandbox isnt really)

Oh wow, I didn’t realize it isn’t a VM… Thank you for the in depth response.

Thank you. Do you mean even with ProtonVPN it is hard to configure?

I’m not sure what you mean by bare metal. Yeah mostly the avoiding malware, but I think I can just download it via torrent and VPN > upload to my email > open the VM > download from email > check with virustotal > try running the exe if it seems normal

should I just not use a VM while torrenting and using a VPN then?

If I don’t use a VM, is it possible to torrent with a VPN but surf the net without the vpn concurrently?