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Thread: Syn Port attack

  1. #1
    Junior Member Surface's Avatar
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    Oct 2005
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    Question Syn Port attack

    hi,

    I'm using an unregistered version of mcafee antivirus & firewall...... many times while surfing the internet i get a message "mcafee has intercepted a syn port attack from x.x.x.x" (thats an ip address by the way). Then it offers to trace some computer/server/router.

    I understand what "trace" means and does, but whats the meaning of syn port attack ??

  2. #2
    Just Another Geek
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    A TCP connection is setup using a "three-way handshake". This means a series of packets in order SYN, SYN/ACK and an ACK..

    A SYN port attack probably means somebody tried to setup a connection (first SYN packet) to a port on your computer. Your firewall should block all connection attempts, check to make sure. If correctly blocked you can safely ignore these alerts. You'll get a lot of them, thanks to all the viruses running rampant on the Internet..
    Oliver's Law:
    Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

  3. #3
    Junior Member Surface's Avatar
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    Oct 2005
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    Even though i knew tcp sync. process, i wasnt able to figure out what the term means

    Thanks

  4. #4
    Senior Member Opus00's Avatar
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    May 2005
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    Without actually seeing what your firewall triggered on to give the alert the syn can be used for several things, one of which is a denial of service attacks(SYN Flooding).

    The other could be an attempt to fingerprint your OS, I can't think of a time that it wouldn't be sent to a port. It could be your vendors way of generalizing the many malicious uses of a syn packet and just name the alert "SYN Port Attack"
    There are two rules for success in life:
    Rule 1: Don't tell people everything you know.

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