Another obvious to most but foreign to me computer question.

[alexandraaah]

After the thread yesterday about security, I downloaded 'Zone Alarm.' I don't understand a thing but am told it's important. Well, out of curiosity...things keep popping up that say, "internet access to your computer was blocked at such and such time from <series of numbers>..."

What does this mean?

My best guess is that my computer was protected from someone else doing something to it...but what? why?

What does this all mean??

Signed,

Someone who really does have knowledge in some areas of life, just not computers.

Thanks.

 

[Wiggles]

And another question (sorry for using your thread Alexandraa), I just downloaded it too.

It keeps asking me if this-or-that can have access to the internet. Some I get, like IE or my MSN messenger, but I have no idea what the others are. Can you mistakenly let someone hack your PC by saying yes to something??

Why don't they have a details button for the techno blondes like me?

 

[alexandraaah]

no worries, wiggles, i was also wondering that...as well as this: if, in fact, this is telling me it's protecting my computer from an unidentified user, or whatever...does that mean that prior to my installing this my computer was being accessed by...other people?

 

[riff]

I don't use any firewall software at all. I don't have a network at home and my IP changes.

Most of those programs prey on the fears of people just like you.

I do occassionally use a port scanner to scan my system to see all of the connections I have going on.

When you are on the web, you connect with a lot of computers in the background.

But, if it makes you feel safer, wear the zone alarm. Can't hurt except give your computer just another task to perform.

 

[alexandraaah]

I don't use any firewall software at all. I don't have a network at home and my IP changes.

Most of those programs prey on the fears of people just like you.

I do occassionally use a port scanner to scan my system to see all of the connections I have going on.

When you are on the web, you connect with a lot of computers in the background.

But, if it makes you feel safer, wear the zone alarm. Can't hurt except give your computer just another task to perform.

I realize you're intentions were good, riff...but...

 

[riff]

Have you read the documentation?

 

[alexandraaah]

Have you read the documentation?

absolutely not.

did you read the question before answering?

 

[Ishmael]

Instructions????

Have you read the documentation?

Now THERE'S a clever idea!!!!!!!!!!!

Ishmael

 

[alexandraaah]

Re: Instructions????

Now THERE'S a clever idea!!!!!!!!!!!

Ishmael

but then i wouldn't have the pleasure of such paternalism.

 

[Jimi]

Firewalls... NOT a dumb question, Alex!

no worries, wiggles, i was also wondering that...as well as this: if, in fact, this is telling me it's protecting my computer from an unidentified user, or whatever...does that mean that prior to my installing this my computer was being accessed by...other people?

At the risk of pissing off my learned Russian-speaking friend , I believe in firewalls!

What you were seeing is likely some web-scanning program doing its nosey best (worst)... Not to worry - you can set the software up to operate "in the background" - just go to the Help section to access FAQ, etc.

If you have some specific questions, please feel free to PM me, and i'll try to help - that goes for Wiggles as well...

 

[unclej]

ppsssttt...alexandraaah...don't look around but somebody hacked into your computer and replaced your av with a picture of a clown with a big nose...

 

[alexandraaah]

Thanks Jimi...I know how to turn off the feature that makes it keep popping up, I was just wondering how to decipher what it was saying.

I just have one question about a large program that I'm mostly unconcerned with...really I was just curious.

 

[Jimi]

It's my pleasure...

Thanks Jimi...I know how to turn off the feature that makes it keep popping up, I was just wondering how to decipher what it was saying.

I just have one question about a large program that I'm mostly unconcerned with...really I was just curious.

Pas de problème.

Just quit sending the Winter across Lake Michigan, OK - Im needing spring here in Ontario...

BTW, that breast & nipple looks remarkably like my S.O's left one - a real mixture of "tit"illation and nervousness here...

 

[Azwed]

If you don't recognize the program that is asking for internet access then don't let it have access. Most likely the program is nothing dangerous. It might be part of another program that is looking to see if any updates are avaliable.

 

[alexandraaah]

If you don't recognize the program that is asking for internet access then don't let it have access. Most likely the program is nothing dangerous. It might be part of another program that is looking to see if any updates are avaliable.

It's not that, Az, I'm just wondering what it means when it tells me that it has blocked access from somewhere else (that was maybe trying to access my computer? I can't imagine why).

I was just wondering what that meant...if someone/thing was trying to access my computer and it was blocked or what?

Jimi--sorry about the winter weather, it'll be 60 here tomorrow...also I'm fairly sure it's my nipple, but I don't recognize the face on it.

 

[SweetBrat73]

If you don't recognize the program that is asking for internet access then don't let it have access. Most likely the program is nothing dangerous. It might be part of another program that is looking to see if any updates are avaliable.

That's good advice. If you want you can PM me...I have the same firewall.


Brat

 

[LukkyKnight]

Yes, the stuff being blocked from another computer is absolutely somebody else's attempt to do something to yours. Often it's innocuous, sometimes it's even accidental/inadvertent, but you're better off not responding for a whole host of reasons.

As to outbound stuff, it could be legitimate, but more likely it's spyware, and possibly a virus trying to spread. It could also be that you installed MS FrontPage and it turned on a webserver for you without you realizing it... a "bad thing." You absolutely must do a scan with current virus definitions from somebody like MacAfee or Norton as the next step.

Without the specifics it's hard to be sure, and I discourage you posting ANY specifics or log segments on the net. If you don't have a fairly knowledgeable friend to ask, then use email to somebody you trust... but short term if nothing's acting broken and you're not letting something on your computer do something you don't understand that is a "good thing."
Anybody with the confidence to operate without such tools in place is either an arrogant fool or a person who knows enough to be genuinely dangerous... or (possibly) both.

 

[alexandraaah]

thanks lukky, you've sufficiently freaked me out.

you have mail, too.

 

[Azwed]

Most of the attempts to access your computer are just your ISP checking to see if you are online or checking other things about you.

You can tell if it is your ISP if the same IP address is always showing up in the log. If one single IP number is showing up constantly and way more then all the others that is probably just your ISP.

 

[alexandraaah]

Thanks Azwed, that makes sense now.

 

[riff]

Are u

R u running any scumware such as KAZAA or MORPHEUS or the notorious gator or Bunghole, I mean, Bonzia Buddy?

 

[fgarvb1]

you ladies need some program like neotrace and access to whois
so you can trace and map who it is and and where they are.

Then you can worry!

i have ZoneAalarm pro which protectes my email from some some things and also i am able to trace ip address thru whois and map pretty close where it came from.

some hole from the middle of nowhere in japan keeps knocking on my door. i'm thing of loading up neotrace again so i can ping him back. That stop the dude from seoul ?sp cold. people don't like it when you know who they are and where they are when they are jacking around with your computor.

 

[riff]

you ladies need some program like neotrace and access to whois
so you can trace and map who it is and and where they are.

Then you can worry!

i have ZoneAalarm pro which protectes my email from some some things and also i am able to trace ip address thru whois and map pretty close where it came from.

some hole from the middle of nowhere in japan keeps knocking on my door. i'm thing of loading up neotrace again so i can ping him back. That stop the dude from seoul ?sp cold. people don't like it when you know who they are and where they are when they are jacking around with your computor.

just use DOS

>ping [domain name here]

or

>tracert [domain name here]

(Neotrace is a cool little program too, I think. I use it for demos a lot)

 

[alexandraaah]

Re: Are u

R u running any scumware such as KAZAA or MORPHEUS or the notorious gator or Bunghole, I mean, Bonzia Buddy?

yeah, someone suggested i download morpheous, which i did, but never had the time/inclination to figure out what the hell it was for. it's on my computer but i don't know if that means i'm 'running' it or not.

<feeling that riff is shaking his head right about now>

 

[p_p_man]

alexandraaah

If you have your ZoneAlarm icon appearing at the bottom of your screen, click on it to bring it up to full size.

Top right hand version of the full size version is the Help Button (though it doesn't look like a button - just the world HELP).

Click and you're in theZoneAlarm help area.

They have laid out their help screen in a very user-friendly manner including the questions you've been asking here. You know the type of thing...

Why is this, that and What does that do and Am I under attack..

I could reply in more detail to what is trying to access your computer but so many things try that it would take me all night!

The main thing is configure your ZoneAlarm in conjunction with your Internet security settings, yes the HELP screen tells you how, and you'll start getting yourself better protected.

I've gone from being an innocent abroad to a complete paranoid as far as unwanted signals coming into my machine are concerned.

Not only do I have Virus Protection and the Zone Alarm FireWall but I now don't allow cookies in unless I'm happy where they're coming from. Especially third party ones.

Ah well the downside of having fun...