A hello to everyone at AntiOnline!

I am an experienced computer user, but a newbie when it comes to security issues. Ever since getting my cable connection, and suffering a couple of attacks, I feel it is time to further my knowledge of the subject.

I was recently attacked by someone connecting to my NetBIOS port. I now know lots about this subject, but there is just one thing I cannot find much information on. What is IPC$???

I know that it stands for "Interprocess Control" share, but what is it used for? What benefits does a hacker gain after obtaining access to this share?

My loose understanding of it, is that it adds an external machine to my network, but what can be done once this machine is connected?

Any help, tips, or links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

K-Line