I notice that now that I've switched from a cable modem to DSL (using
Consolidated Communications in Texas) my ports 21, 22, 23 and 80 are
open per two web sites (grc.com is one of them, forgot the other for
now). When I read up what grc.com says about them, it seems like I
should worry as if the world will end. I am behind a wireless router
using wep and use Zonealarm as my firewall.

I haven't been able to so far close the ports despite going into the
dsl modem settings yet. Some of the settings I don't quite understand
even reading the dsl modem manual and I don't want to call tech
support because I've already dealt with them on something else twice
and they sound like they know less than me (inotherwords I don't trust
them).

I can't see any problems on my pc's or laptops so far since I started
using DSL. My gut feeling tells me that perhaps grc.com isn't
telling me all about these particular open ports and perhaps I really
need not worry in my case?? It seems like the default settings for
my router and ZoneAlarm both keep all ports closed so I'm not sure why
2 different web sites say otherwise. Does anyone know the truth?

"observer" wrote in message
news:dcmcu3tn183bt18319i0lshvp5869hj7cl@4ax.com...
another testing site other than GRC

Mr. Arnold wrote:
Google on those port numbers and you'll find that things aren't as bad
as Steve Gibson (GRC) says. He's paranoid.

21/TCP FTP - control (command) port

22/TCP,UDP SSH (Secure Shell) - used for secure logins, file
transfers (scp, sftp) and port forwarding

23/TCP,UDP Telnet protocol - unencrypted text communications

80/TCP HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) - used for transferring web pages

Without those ports, you may as well unplug your modem for all the good
it will do you.

observer wrote:
GRC serves a purpose but perpetuates a windows fear. Computing should
be a relaxed confident experience.

ZA has the hyper-sensitive-attack-notification-mode, shit always jumps
from here and there on the internet,
understand your system and turn that overly-sensitive notification
crap off if you have it on.

Understand that if your system stays cool, updated, no rookie installs
of harmful programs, then it is virtually untouchable.

Google any program you intend to install with the word spyware, that
will tell you if you 'were' about to install anything noxious. Stay
away from inststalling toolbars, that sums it up.

WEP is not secure, it can be cracked in moments. Whoever has the
router control, do WPA2 with a strong pre-shared-key. It's only
limitation is the password, my understanding is that a dictionary
attack can be utilized
with what, 5,000 words a second? So use strong 3$vG*9(,Z style
passwords, not mydogsname as a pass.

It probably uses a (caching) proxy server that it's users connect
through for web browsing, generally it's on port 80, 3128, 8080, etc.


Find an nmap (port scanner) for windows, and do a localhost and or
127.0.0.1 scan to see what ports are open on YOUR computer.

You should also be able to easily scan what ports are open on your
router, 192.168.1.1?

For what it's worth, if you watch how you download and install crap
then you could pretty much easily
run windows without a firewall, and just a router. If even that.