[Monkey]

I don't know much about hacking. I recently put on Norton's Firewall/Internet Security. It says that someone constantly tried to intrude. Was I being hacked? I have over 100 log entries on 3/14 of this intrusion atempt. I will attach pictures that will explain what I am talking about. It says the intruder was from Georgia(maybe Atlanta area).

 

[Monkey]

Here is the trace. If anyone can shed more light on the subject I would appreciate it.

 

[Monkey]

One more pic, this is a little more detail of the IP address.

 

[johnwill]

Such attempts happen all the time with broadband and 24 hour connections. I've long ago turned off the firewall log, it's really pointless to review the tons of individual probes.

If that entry wasn't in the firewall log, then you would have been hacked!

 

[Monkey]

Yea, I have cable internet. I started to constantly get pop up ads(50 in one hour). So I put on Nortons firewall/internet security about a week ago. What makes me mad is that I probably was hacked before I put it on though. I dont know why someone would want to hack my computer, I keep no important documents on it. I have had Nortons Anti-virus on my computer for awhile, so at least no one tried to give me a virus yet.

 

[johnwill]

I wouldn't feel special, the idiots will break into any computer that's not secured. About two-three years ago when the widely publicized Yahoo DOS attack was staged, I found out after the fact that one of my computers was part of the plan! I didn't realize it until later when I was having problems on the network, and found a bogus script in my startup folder. This computer was a dial-up, it was before I had broadband, but they hit it anyway.

You need more than AV to protect you, as you have figured out.

 

[Monkey]

Is there anyway to tell if my computer was broken into prior to putting on the firewall?

 

[johnwill]

Only by scanning with virus scanners and spyware finders like AdAware and SpyBot Search-n-Destroy. If you scan and everything comes up clean, and you have no problems, you're probably fine.

 

[Monkey]

Thanks again.

 

[Pseudocyber]

Cabana, does Norton alert you when programs want to make OUTBOUND connections? This would indicate that you've already been hacked - if a strange program is trying to make an internet connection that you're not aware of.

Zone Alarm will do this - I don't know about Norton.

 

[Monkey]

When I first put it on it did. Whenever a program tried to make outbound connections it would ask me whether to permit or block that one time, or to always permit/block the program from making an outbound connection. I haven't had any programs that tried to access the internet that I didn't use before. I did download search n destroy and ran it. I removed everything that it found(johnwill:including the winstart001.exe/IGetNet crap, thanks again for that one). I dont remember what else came up on the Spybot Search and Destroy but nothing on there seemed unusual.
Oh yeah, it has blocked 1187 ads in the past few days. Why do I get so many popups? Is there a way to stop the popups, not just block them?

 

[Pseudocyber]

Popups - yes, you can not go to sites which have popup code in them ...

Alternatively, you could disable all of your javascripting, activeX, and so on in your browser ... however that would also disable a lot of "cool" webpages that you probably like.

 

[Monkey]

The pop ups come even when I am not even using IE(but I am constantly connected to internet, cable modem). They come as soon as I start the computer. Funny thing is the most common ad I get is an add for a popup killer. It is a stop sign, saying stop pop up adds forever. I don't see them anymore(because of Norton) but I was just wondering. I don't feel like someone should have to buy something to stop adds because someone ELSE is sending them. I can see when you go to a website and you get one there, but to constantly send adds when I am not even using the internet pisses me off. Norton's Internet Security/Firewall came with my motherboard(and I can get software for free anyway) but why should others have to put up money for **** like that?

 

[johnwill]

If you're getting messenger pop-ups, you need to configure your firewall to block ports 135, 137-139, and 445. These are all the NETBIOS ports, and there's no reason for them to be open to the Internet.

 

[Monkey]

I don't get messenger pop ups. It is the pop ups from internet explorer, even when I am not running internet explorer. I dont see them anymore, but they are still coming to me(just being blocked). Does that slow down my internet speed?? It is already setup to block NETBIOS ports.

 

[johnwill]

If you're getting IE popups when you're not running IE, you have spyware somewhere in your system that's firing them off. If you get rid of all spyware and have a firewall in place, that won't happen. You need to find out where they're being launched from.