How to Found out Which Ports are Accepting Incoming Connections
The TCP/IP protocol uses ports to share and access services or resources on computers or servers. The service can be website and resource can be file shares etc, all of these shares use port numbers to allow access to service or resource that are been shared. A port number is a way to identify a specific service to which an Internet or other network message is to be forwarded on network or internet. This port number is passed logically between client and server transport layers and physically between the transport layer and the Internet Protocol layer and forwarded on. In computer terms, a computer or a program connects to somewhere or something else on the Internet or local network via a port. Each port set or range is assigned specialized jobs or functions, and that's generally all they do. Usually, all identical system services or functions use the same port numbers on the receiving servers.
One of the most important -- and most dangerous -- tools hackers will use to breach your security is a port scanner. Scanners were devised to help hackers quickly and accurately assess the portals of entry and weaknesses in targeted networks. Network scanning tools help information technology managers find security holes such as open ports or lists of running services on a host. But hackers are using a new generation of "stealth" scanners to plot attacks on the networks they were designed to protect. If you have passwords protecting those resources (most people don't even have that), and if it seems worthwhile, an intruder can run any of a number of available password crackers against your system in the background, pounding away at your shields — without you ever being the wiser — until they crumble. Mature and secure systems have many forms of protection against these age-old and well-known password cracking attacks. Secure systems will notify their user of failed attempts or completely lock-out remote access after some number of password failures. But Windows has no protection whatsoever against silent password cracking on your file shares that are exposed to the entire world! You'll never know that someone has a powerful battering ram pounding away at your door, and nothing keeps them from pounding away day and night so long as your computer is on and connected to the internet. This is a problem. You can use port scanning programs to find out which ports are accepting internal connection to service or shared resources the Nmap utility is a port scanning program there is also free online port scanners like ShieldsUP!.
Many Internet scanners specifically seek out and locate Windows file and printer shares, whether they are protected by passwords or not! Malicious computer vandals leave these scanners running night and day collecting IP addresses — one of them might be yours! — then they "map" that drive's shares onto their local drive letters to gain total access to your computer's files!
Ports are numbered for consistency and programming. The most commonly used and best known ports are those numbered 0 to 1023 dedicated for Internet use, but they can extend far higher for specialized purposes.
Port Range Groups
Since a firewall checks, scans, and blocks traffic flowing both ways through it, both into and out of your computer, you should be able to easily prevent unauthorized communication by blocking ports for services and resources.
One of the most important -- and most dangerous -- tools hackers will use to breach your security is a port scanner. Scanners were devised to help hackers quickly and accurately assess the portals of entry and weaknesses in targeted networks. Network scanning tools help information technology managers find security holes such as open ports or lists of running services on a host. But hackers are using a new generation of "stealth" scanners to plot attacks on the networks they were designed to protect. If you have passwords protecting those resources (most people don't even have that), and if it seems worthwhile, an intruder can run any of a number of available password crackers against your system in the background, pounding away at your shields — without you ever being the wiser — until they crumble. Mature and secure systems have many forms of protection against these age-old and well-known password cracking attacks. Secure systems will notify their user of failed attempts or completely lock-out remote access after some number of password failures. But Windows has no protection whatsoever against silent password cracking on your file shares that are exposed to the entire world! You'll never know that someone has a powerful battering ram pounding away at your door, and nothing keeps them from pounding away day and night so long as your computer is on and connected to the internet. This is a problem. You can use port scanning programs to find out which ports are accepting internal connection to service or shared resources the Nmap utility is a port scanning program there is also free online port scanners like ShieldsUP!.
Many Internet scanners specifically seek out and locate Windows file and printer shares, whether they are protected by passwords or not! Malicious computer vandals leave these scanners running night and day collecting IP addresses — one of them might be yours! — then they "map" that drive's shares onto their local drive letters to gain total access to your computer's files!
Ports are numbered for consistency and programming. The most commonly used and best known ports are those numbered 0 to 1023 dedicated for Internet use, but they can extend far higher for specialized purposes.
Port Range Groups
- 0 to 1023 - Well known port numbers. Only special companies like Apple QuickTime, MSN, SQL Services, Gopher Services and other prominent services have these port numbers.
- 1024 to 49151 - Registered ports; meaning they can be registered to specific protocols by software corporations.
- 49152 to 65536 - Dynamic or private ports; meaning that they can be used by just about anybody.
Since a firewall checks, scans, and blocks traffic flowing both ways through it, both into and out of your computer, you should be able to easily prevent unauthorized communication by blocking ports for services and resources.