Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale (The Winds of Winter) (Photo : Facebook/Game of Thrones)
In anticipation of "Game of Thrones' fans hunting for leaked Season 6 Episodes 9 and 10 by the millions, torrent uploaders tried to lure in unsuspecting users with fake contents that likely are loaded with spam or malwares. What looked like as advanced copies of the penultimate "Battle of the Bastards" and the GoT season finale "The Winds of Winter" shared via The Pirate Bay turned out as fakes.
Three new uploaders provided the last two episodes of GoT through TPB but the contents proved as mere baits or fakes. As reported by Tech Worm, "there is no sign of Game of Thrones S08 E09 episode downloads or leaks on major torrenting sites," indicating too that the likelihood of GoT free livestreaming that is simultaneous with HBO's official broadcast has hit a dead end.
In the past weeks, HBO has accidentally leaked "The Door" and "No One" ahead of airing time but it appears that the same will not mar the penultimate and season finale of Game of Thrones. "Looks like HBO has kept a tight leash on leaks and torrents," Tech Worm said, indicating that GoT fans without access to the pay TV channel will be forced to look elsewhere.
Or they can still try out what TPB and similar file-sharing sites are currently serving. For the brave ones, the Independent online news site offered a checklist to easily spot fake contents or torrents. Frequent torrent users would stay away from unknown or unverified uploaders as most likely the contents from these sources will not check out or even prove harmful, the report said.
Prior to downloading or streaming of files claiming to be GoT episodes, users are also advised to determine first the file extension. In most cases, playable contents bear the extensions .MP4 and .MKV, which are the prevailing media file standard and are generally safe. While .WMV is a media extension, it has lately been used by malware authors to cloak their attacks, the Independent reported.
The .EXE extension is the most obvious sign of a fake GoT torrent as it says that the content is not a media but an executory file that is laced with intents to harm or hijack a victim's personal computer, the report added.
Lastly, uploaders dangling a GoT content that weighs only 300MB plus should be an immediate fake suspect. It's hard to imagine that a file too small will check out as an authentic or at least enjoyable Game of Thrones episode rip.
In the end, the safest bet for Game of Thrones fans is sticking to the sanctioned sources that are available through cable and online streaming services. But in reality and with HBO teasing that GoT Season 6 episodes 9 and 10 are packed with major character deaths and show-redefining scenes, many would be willing to take the risk of going rogue just to get hold of the GoT quick fix.
