help..need to close ports.

[Creed5150]

Hi, I just started caring about security of my laptop. I ran the scan and I have 3 ports open. 21, 23, and 80..All TCP..I have a Linksys Wireless Router, Zonealarm, and the cheap XP firewall..I'm also using findnot.com VPN/Encryption service.

Questions:

1) How do I close these ports?
2) Do I need to?
3) Does all this security slow me down?.The VPN has just a tad I've noticed/
4) What port do I need open to download off limewire..

Thanks for any assistance.

[avenger46176]

paranoid?

[EGlennJr2002]

Hi, I just started caring about security of my laptop. I ran the scan and I have 3 ports open. 21, 23, and 80..All TCP..I have a Linksys Wireless Router, Zonealarm, and the cheap XP firewall..I'm also using findnot.com VPN/Encryption service.

Questions:

1) How do I close these ports?
2) Do I need to?
3) Does all this security slow me down?.The VPN has just a tad I've noticed/
4) What port do I need open to download off limewire..

Thanks for any assistance.

I don't know if this will help you, but I did a similar scan and found one port open, or more specifically, "unfiltered." I am running WinXP-SP2, which means the so-called Security Center is installed (Start>Control Panel>Security Center).

In the Security Center, you can manage security settings for The Internet, Automatic Updates, and Windows Firewall. Here, you want to click on Windows Firewall.

[NB: Alternatively, you can reach the Windows Firewall settings this way: Start>Control Panel>Network and Internet Connections>Windows Firewall.]

The Windows Firewall window has three tabs: General, Exceptions, and Advanced. Click on Exceptions.

You will see a list of programs and services that Windows Firewall is allowing to have network connections. You may see that some have checkmarks and some do not. The programs and services that are checkmarked are allowed to communicate over the network via ports. (Unchecked items are not active exceptions, but are listed in case you want to checkmark them and, thereby, allowing them access).

Simply because there is a checkmark next to a program or service, it does not mean that the connection's port is not being "filtered." The filtered connections will not show up on Speedguide's Security Scan.

My exceptions list shows three items with checkmarks, and several items with no checkmarks. There is not a checkmark next to File and Printer Sharing, Remote Desktop, Remote Assistance, and uPNP framework. No checkmark means those ports are closed.

Items on my exceptions list with checkmarks are Limewire, Yahoo! FT server, and Yahoo! Messenger. After running Speedguide's Security Scan, I still show no open or unfiltered ports. That's because the three programs listed as active exceptions are still being monitored ("filtered) by the firewall, and are not wide open to attack.

The FIRST time I did a security scan, I showed one open port. I went to the Windows Firewall exceptions list and right-clicked each exception to view its properties. In some cases, right-clicking showed the port it was using. Other programs and services did not list any specific port.

I found the program using the open port (this particular service showed the port it was using when I right-clicked it and viewed its properties) and I removed the checkmark next to it. I did another Speedguide security scan and, apparently, removing the checkmark did the trick. It showed no open ports.

You have indicated that the Security Scan revealed three "unfiltered" or "open" ports: 21, 23, and 80. Check out http://www.speedguide.net/ports.php to view a list of vulnerable ports and the kinds of malicious attackers use them.

In your case, port 21 is used for FTP, 23 is used by Telnet, and 80 is used for HTTP content.

My advice would be to follow the steps I used to identify which programs on your exceptions list are using these ports, remove the checkmark, and run Speedguide's security scan again. If you right-click on a program or service on your exceptions list to view its properties and no port is listed, you may have to use the "process by elimination" approach.

I hope this helps!

[billjameson]

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