On 8 Dec 2005 at 10:53, Ed Nelson wrote:

>   The NetDefense Firewall hasm't been on my machine (hp Vectra w/ XP)
> for long, but I now get a flood os msgs, e.g. "MSN_SL is trying to
> connect to 'g.ceipman'.com.  Do you want to allow this program to
> access the network?"  But I dunno what's meant by "this program";
> might it be "MSN-SL..."?  or 'g.ceipman.com?  Then there's "the
> network" reference.  My wife (upstairs) and I are on a tiny LAN, but
> maybe they're referring to the I'Net.
>
>   I'm given the option to shut off repeats of such questions, but
> dunno whether I should shut 'em all off.  If so, how do I find which
> ones to kill or to allow?  Can anyone tell me what's up?  You're such
> a helpful bunch I'm feeling rather confident, unfasirly maybe.
>
>   ---ed

  The value in a desktop firewall program is that it can tell you not just
that there is traffic that you haven't approved, but *usually* what program
is causing the traffic.  If you don't recognize it, you basically have three
options:

1.  Block it, and see if anything you care about stops working.

2.  Research it -- often an unfamiliar name will turn out to be an internal
component of a well-known package -- and decide based on what you find.

3.  Permit it and cross your fingers, pretending you don't have a firewall.

  There should be a way to tell the firewall not to ask in future -- either
to block it or permit it depending on your research.  Don't make a permanent
commitment until you've researched it, though, because finding how to undo
that setting could be somewhat more difficult.

  [These are general comments that go with any firewall program; I'm not
familiar with the specific commands to do these things with the NetDefense
product.]

David Gillett

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