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
PCSOFT's List Owner's:
Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>
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