What is port scanning and why is Megapath asking me about it?

[nitrousninja]

I have IDSL at 144\144 and I just got an email from Megapath that a couple of people said my IP tried to scan thier port. Could Morpheus or pop-up stopper do this? I've reinstalled XP twice since getting DSL and I LAN a friends sometimes so he has to change my IP. Then when I get home I select "obtain IP automatically" tand I'm all good. Does anyone know what this means? Thanks! Matt

 

[kgraeme]

Port scanning is when a program goes out and scans for open ports on another person's IP. It's generally a method for finding vulnerabilities in systems and it usually happens because of a worm or a trogan that you inadvertantly downloaded. The Code Red worm is a popular recent one, but there are others. Some spread themselves automatically because of the port scanning, and some are used by script kiddies to launch attacks like Distributed Denial of Service.

 

[20_MuleTeam_Borax]

How did they find your email address only knowing your IP?

 

[bozo1]

<< How did they find your email address only knowing your IP >>


Because they are his ISP.

 

[etech]

What virus scanner are you using? My son used to pick up a virus almost every time he went to a Lan party with his computer.

I can not vouch for how accurate this is, but it's worth a try
sygatetech.com

 

[rahvin]

Ask megapath what kind of port scanning. Just be honest with them about your setup and how little you even know about even what port scanning is. Some people are really quick to complain about port probes but of course you could have a trojan installed. I get a port scan at least 3 times a day, I don't sweat it because my setup is pretty secure (I use nmap to check it occasionaly).

 

[nitrousninja]

I basically told them that I don't know what they mean and would like an explaination. I also told them that I use Morpheus and have reinstalled my OS a couple of times due to upgrades and the IP may have changed.