internet security

[tin_tinr]

my question is this, i have a firewall security program running
on my pc and for example ive been on here about 15_20mins
now and have had 17 attempts to try and get in my pc
how safe are these programs?
When the alert up it says it has blocked accessto the tcp ports
can anyone explain this and reassure me a little on the safety aspect?

 

[Different Guy]

Well if your program reports people trying to get in then it should mean it's doing it the job and notifying you of the bastards trying miserably to hack you.

I use a program call Hack Tracer. Downloadable from Cnet.com I highly recommend it as it allows you to ban the IP attacking you, report them, gives you their ISP details and all sorts. It also has a digital map that zooms into the city they're in

Annoying thing with this is that it picks up every attempt of someone pinging your computer, attempting to send viruses or just get in and the box keeps popping up. Better to have that than be unknowningly hacked though

 

[Ram Unreal]

Cheers for that, I'll check it out.

 

[John1980]

https://grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2


Here is a good site for testing your security and some advice on which firewalls to use.

 

[Ram Unreal]

Hey DG, I tried to download it but it needed a username and password, I visited the site but couldn't find anything to register to etc...

How do I get it?

 

[MR.GGG]

I believe that most of the time when your security program sez that someone has tried to "get in" to your computer it is simply reporting that a site you have visited wanted to or tried to dump a "cookie" into your syste,m. This, most of the ime, is NOT a bad thing. Online advertisers keep track of who's looking at their sites that way and some sites will actually recognise you when you return and notify you of any changes since your last visit - stuff lie that.

If you have been on the net for 20 minutes and your program is telling you 17 attempts to hack your computer have happened since going online there are one of two thing you can extrapolate from that...

a) there are only 160,000 or so actual web surfers. The other 59 MILLION people on line are all hackerz

or

b) you work for the CIA and (in that case paranoia or not) a) is TRUE

 

[Different Guy]

Hey dude i typed in Hack Tracer on the website and got a link to download it. Once I have I can't remember if you have to register but even if you do it's totally free.

You don't need to be a member of anything to get it and use it

 

[tin_tinr]

I believe that most of the time when your security program sez that someone has tried to "get in" to your computer it is simply reporting that a site you have visited wanted to or tried to dump a "cookie" into your syste,m. This, most of the ime, is NOT a bad thing. Online advertisers keep track of who's looking at their sites that way and some sites will actually recognise you when you return and notify you of any changes since your last visit - stuff lie that.

If you have been on the net for 20 minutes and your program is telling you 17 attempts to hack your computer have happened since going online there are one of two thing you can extrapolate from that...

a) there are only 160,000 or so actual web surfers. The other 59 MILLION people on line are all hackerz

or

b) you work for the CIA and (in that case paranoia or not) a) is TRUE

thanks for the advice mrggg, but how did you work out im in the CIA its supposed to be a secret

 

[MR.GGG]

Damn!

Oooops, sorry. I thought EVERYBODY knew already.

 

[magicpenis]

its not a hacker

iam assuming you have a dynamic IP (one that changes everytime you logon [56k]) the ods of 17 hackes in 15 minutes is not likely. those are just normal thigs that you are doing such as instant messengers, websites you visit, email, games, and such. look at the reports clossly and iam sure you will see this. i also assume this is zone alarm? or somting similar. on closing windows 9x sucks, get linux )

 

[tin_tinr]

Re: its not a hacker

iam assuming you have a dynamic IP (one that changes everytime you logon [56k]) the ods of 17 hackes in 15 minutes is not likely. those are just normal thigs that you are doing such as instant messengers, websites you visit, email, games, and such. look at the reports clossly and iam sure you will see this. i also assume this is zone alarm? or somting similar. on closing windows 9x sucks, get linux )

ok magicpenis just one question why somedays do i only get a few hits on my firewall but other days a lot even though i go mainly on the same sites every day?and yes you are right it is zone alarm . what is windows 9 x?

 

[tin_tinr]

pardon my ignorance but im not really sure what you mean by a
dynamic ip. if that means my isp then it remains the same all the time you will have to bare with me as im not really up on the technical side of computers hence the questions

 

[magicpenis]

*sigh* i feel like crap/ur hacker question...

computers are assinghned IP addresses like 12.0.0.1 whenu long to the net, 56k (dial up phone) ips change every time so when someone knows your address it will only be known for a while becuse your internet adress (ip) will change next time you log on, so no one is acutaly hacking you. what are the exact messages that you get on zone alarm? i bet its somthing like somthing tring access on port 80 or somthing like that. zone alarm picks up everything good and bad. whenever you do somthing that you know it has picked up select "never block agian " or somthing like that its on the yellow window that pops up, eventualy it will all be fine and you wont get many warning for no reason. windows 9x reffers to windows 95, 98. i never liked windows. iam such in a crappy mood, iam sorrry if it shows in this message. blah iam unloved

 

[Sunday Comes]

internet security isn't that difficult a topic. 99% of users don't even need a firewall. basically, if you just have your one pc without top secret information on it, no one cares enough to try to connect to you. if you aren't a specific target of someone who REALLY wants onto your computer, the only security issues you need to worry about are things like worms, that like up your IP and try automatically to connect to it.

avoiding unwanted connections is a very simple process. if you use windows, make sure to download all the security updates. NEVER EVER use outlook express, and avoid outlook itself like it is the plague if you can. also, you can go to www.cert.org and get information on the latest security shortcomings of your OS and download the necessary patches for them. cert is the computing emergency resoponse team at carnegie mellon university, and is essentially the leading internet security firm in the world, so they ought to have anything you need to resolve your security issues.

again, as was said earlier, a very very high percentage of attempts to connect to your computer are likely just harmless bits of information being passed to you from the web. the rest are most likely blocked already anyway.

 

[Guest]

Shields Up could not penetrate my firewall and I use Black Ice, Good Luck

 

[lamafees]

Re: *sigh* i feel like crap/ur hacker question...

computers are assinghned IP addresses like 12.0.0.1 whenu long to the net, 56k (dial up phone) ips change every time so when someone knows your address it will only be known for a while becuse your internet adress (ip) will change next time you log on, so no one is acutaly hacking you. what are the exact messages that you get on zone alarm? i bet its somthing like somthing tring access on port 80 or somthing like that. zone alarm picks up everything good and bad. whenever you do somthing that you know it has picked up select "never block agian " or somthing like that its on the yellow window that pops up, eventualy it will all be fine and you wont get many warning for no reason. windows 9x reffers to windows 95, 98. i never liked windows. iam such in a crappy mood, iam sorrry if it shows in this message. blah iam unloved

hey there..tried to send you a PM reply..but yoru box is full..you need to delete some of your messages...in your inbox or sent..then i can send my reply again..