is it possible

[Mr.Fatal]

I have a firewall and i am able to chose what ports are closed and which are open.

I would like to be able to open up 4 or 5 ports but i am afraid that a hacker will to use this as a way into my computer.

Is it possible for a hacker to be able to send files through 4 or 5 ports or am i safe.

[Mr.Fatal]

sorry to double post but how is it that hackers find your ip in the first place.

[Computernerd22]

s it possible for a hacker to be able to send files through 4 or 5 ports or am i safe.

The more ports that are open the more ways to access your system.

This is What a typical script kiddy would do is scan your system to find those open ports, then identify what applications, game severs, services, are running on those ports, find exploits for those applications, services, game servers, then he would exploit. As far as securing your system I recommend learning what services are running on your system, change all default passwords, and keep up-to-date on all system patches, service packs. Block all ports and services that are not in use. Make sure to Keep a log file for your firewall, just in case you never know. Make sure AV software is always up-to-date, check system for spyware, malware, adware,trojans Hope this helps 3rd Leg Greg

[Agent_Steal]

Crackers would probably be the people who you are referring to. Well they can use software to scan thousands of ip's addresses. This software allows them to scan for any open ports that someone may have accidentally left opened.

Other times they might use a vulnerability scanning program to see which machines on the net are vulnerable to certain types of attacks. [ Script Kiddies do this type of stuff ]

There are a lot of ways in which a cracker can find your machine.

This might be of topic but I thought that you might wanna read the info below :
[1]Security of the Internet
[2]Home Computer Security
You never know you just might find it interesting. It is a good read though.

Computernerd has giving a good run-down of what you should do. You might wanna read the second link to go along with his info.

Another thing Mr.Fatal I noticed that you kinda posted this in the wrong forum. Since it is really only a question and not a tutorial. But dont worry one of the Moderators should be able to fix that. Just pointing it out before people start to bother you about it.

[pak]

We do not know the exact firewall you are talking about but most windows software firewalls allow you to make rules based on IP address(es), port number(s), and application(s). This would be one way of making a rule to allow traffic to/from the four ports and yet still be pretty secure about it.

[s0nIc]

you can go through great lengths to make your pc almost invisible. like pak said, it all depends on what firewall you are using. as to hidding your ip, one way i know is using a proxy. or bnc. there are some free proxies and bnc out there u can google it.

[DarkCarniv0l]

Depending on the ports you open, this will have a big impact on your risk. Some ports and services are jucier than others. What ports will you be opening up? A few items for your reference to ensure your Windows based boxes are up-to-date. As others have mentioned, make sure your firewall is watched, strong passwords (8 chars minimum with upper and lower case, numbers and symbols). Review your logs regularly and check for the IP address origination. I would also mention that you UPDATE THE FIRMWARE ON YOUR FIREWALL AND OTHER DEVICES ON YOUR NETWORK TO MINIMIZE RISK.

All the best,



DarkCarniv0l

[DarkCarniv0l]

I forgot to attach this to the last post....sorry.

Tool Location
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer/HFNetChk http://download.microsoft.com/downlo.../mbsasetup.msi
KB 824146 Scanning Tool http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en
QChain http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...spl_X86_EN.exe
IIS Security Planning Tool http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...S/Iisperms.exe
IIS Lockdown Wizard http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...S/iislockd.exe
URLscan http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...af95/Setup.EXE
Cipher.exe http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...SP3_x86_en.EXE
IPSec Policy Configuration tool http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...cpol_setup.exe
Domain Controller Diagnostic Tool http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...diag_setup.exe
SQL Server tools http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...UpdPkg_ENU.exe
Screensavers http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...US/Seclaws.exe


Security Tools

[Agent_Steal]

You also might find this useful. Something to keep beside you and give it a read.
FAQ: Firewall Forensics (What am I seeing?)

I posted this a long while back somewhere in a post but I can't remember where. So that's why I decided to post it again.

[Mr.Fatal]

Thanks for all the help.

Sorry about posting in the wroung area. I thought i was in the noob section. This shows that i shold be their

Anyway keep the info coming i can use all the help i can get.