Port Scanning

[Extreme]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to ask you wise people if i can do anything about ppl port scanning me.

It is pissing me off getting alerts everyday from my firewall saying that "IP xx.xxx.xx.xxx is trying to connet using sub7 (or other trojans)"

Is there anyway to get back these little $&*£("^"£@ because they are really pissing me off !!

Thanks in advance

[meloncholy]

Originally posted here by Extreme
Hi guys,

Just wanted to ask you wise people if i can do anything about ppl port scanning me.

Unplug your computer.

Actually, people will scan, you can prevent them from getting any results, but you can't stop them from scnning. Its not that unusual to see scans in your log file. If you have a firewall your already 1/2 way there!

You might also want to search around this site before asking a question like that

[Tedob1]

you can of course report them to their ISP. depending on who that is thay could be kicked off.

there are sub7 "imposter" servers. they appear to the client as a sub7 server but will send false infomation. you can send a screen shot of anything you like like an fbi badge or an arrest warrent. you can tell them to piss off or report to their local police office. i found one here but havnt checked it out:

http://209.100.212.5/cgi-bin/search/...&type=archives

or you could do like most of do and just stop your computer from alerting you to such usless things and know that you are protected from it.

[thehorse13]

Yes, as Tedob1 has said, you can disable informational messages as to not go insane. Unfortunately, port scanning is a fact of life on the internet. I pan through logs each day and it just becomes part of the normal scenery after a while. Again, if you have sufficient protection in place then you shouldn't be too concerned.

--TH13

[\/IP3R]

I think what bothering you is alert from your firewall. You should have an option in your firewall that will not show you those alerts and protect you in back ground.
Port scanning is not illegal (in lot of states and depends who is scanning your ports) and as Tedob1 said you can ofcourse report them, but I don't think that will solve your problem because who has time to report hundreds of port scans every day?

[alpine]

can someone tell me what is port scanning realy???

[NeuTron]

Originally posted here by alpine
can someone tell me what is port scanning realy???

Do the research so it doesn't have to be spoon fed to you. I know you've heard of google.

[Networker]

Extreme I have a tip for u:
assuming the fact we r talking about ur home puter.
assumingthe fact that you don't run any server.

So there is one thing u can to get rid of: TCP scans
use a firewall set up to drop any connetion request from the outside (exception can been done for P2P) in TCP term refuse any SYN from outbound.
For those who don't understand, a client is always at connection initiative & then by doing this u will forbid any server or scan (tcp based) of any kind to connect u.
This can be enhanced with rules for the inbound, like restriting to the services u only use (21: ftp, 80:http, yahoo game: you decide, .....)

[Shrekkie]

alpine,

here's a beginner to read up, although Neutron has a point in searching google, that way you learn lots more...

"Port scanning is a computer security technique that tests a system for open TCP/IP "ports". In layman's terms, if one compares an IP address to a telephone number, then a port would be the equivalent of a telephone extension.

For instance, if I wanted to speak to Linus Torvalds at his workplace, I would first dial the phone number to Transmeta, and then connect to his specific extension. In this way, more than one person can use the same phone number. Likewise, TCP/IP ports allow one IP address to have many different servers connect to it.

Standard TCP/IP stacks allow access to up to 65,535 different ports, 1 - 65535. In Linux, ports less than 1024 require root access for a program to bind to them."

Taken from here

Greetz,

[pskyboy]

Thats an excellent description of port scanning and shows the point to people who have little understanding of computer security that port scanning in its self is harmless and nothing to worry about. Its only when a port is found that can be exploited that the problems actually arise.

This is one of the reasons i disagree with making port scanning illegal, i mean its not illegal to dial every extension and see if you get a connection so why should it be illegal to search for ports on a machine. I think like most things a lack of knowledge and irrational fear because of this has caused law makers to make things illegal which strictly speaking shouldn't be.


Just my few pence

Peter