external access security

[MikieSlats]

I have a single PC running off a wireless router. The little connection
indicator in the taskbar is constantly lit and packets constantly going in
and out. 100K packets sent and 80K received in the last hour. The firewall
is on, there are no exceptions ticked on the list and the "no exceptions" box
is ticked. My kids use Bitlord and Limewire and I have even uninstalled
these programs

And the damned light stays on.

Is someone accessing my machine and how can I put a stop to it?

Thanks Mikie

 

[Alun Jones]

"MikieSlats" <MikieSlats@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BE74D456-24BA-423C-9432-91242448CF02@microsoft.com...
>I have a single PC running off a wireless router. The little connection
> indicator in the taskbar is constantly lit and packets constantly going in
> and out. 100K packets sent and 80K received in the last hour. The
> firewall
> is on, there are no exceptions ticked on the list and the "no exceptions"
> box
> is ticked. My kids use Bitlord and Limewire and I have even uninstalled
> these programs
>
> And the damned light stays on.
>
> Is someone accessing my machine and how can I put a stop to it?

For the truly paranoid, you could download and install Microsoft's Network
Monitor, to see what traffic is going up and down - but then you'd need an
expert to figure out what all that traffic means. [Or, in some cases, you
may be able to squint at the random noise, and spot some text that
identifies what the traffic is]

There are several possibilities:

1. The traffic isn't meant for you. Any time a network connection gets
severed and then re-connected, there's a chance that you will receive a new
IP address. That new IP address was someone else's old IP address, and he
may have had outstanding requests that will cause other machines to connect
in to him. At worst, he may have been running a server, and there may be
hundreds of machines still under the impression that the IP address you now
have is where that server lists. So, they'll keep pounding on your
firewall - and getting rejected.

2. The traffic is meant for you, and is benign. Perhaps your machine is
downloading updates in the background? Maybe you've got a web page open that
likes to refresh its adverts every few seconds?

3. The traffic is meant for you, and is malicious. Hey, your kids use
programs that are known for delivering content from untrustable and
anonymous sources. What else have they downloaded along with those pirated
songs? Curb that behaviour now, because otherwise you may have to deal with
stories like this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7029229.stm Oh, and
run some anti-virus and anti-spyware scans on your system.

Of course, being that it's a wireless router, have you considered that maybe
someone else is using your wireless signal? Did you leave the wireless
connection open to all? You really need to use WPA protection in order to
avoid being hacked by someone with a penchant for downloading wireless
cracking tools.

Alun.
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