SKY USERS

I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using their
router........

Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/

which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports 1864,
4443, 5566 and 5190...

I ran a port scan earlier today (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp)
just to check I'm secure and these showed up as open. Before I switched to
the Sky router my PC was 100% secure port wise...

I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've changed
nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs etc/ changed
anything else)......

"Dave Boomhauer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using their
>router........
>
> Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/
>
> which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports 1864,
> 4443, 5566 and 5190...
>
> I ran a port scan earlier today
> (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp) just to check I'm secure and
> these showed up as open. Before I switched to the Sky router my PC was
> 100% secure port wise...
>
> I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've
> changed nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs etc/
> changed anything else)......

Mine are not open.
Did a double check at GRC.com and all ports are stealthed.

Beck wrote:
> "Dave Boomhauer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using
>> their router........
>>
>> Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/
>>
>> which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports
>> 1864, 4443, 5566 and 5190...
>>
>> I ran a port scan earlier today
>> (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp) just to check I'm
>> secure and these showed up as open. Before I switched to the Sky
>> router my PC was 100% secure port wise...
>>
>> I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've
>> changed nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs
>> etc/ changed anything else)......
>
> Mine are not open.
> Did a double check at GRC.com and all ports are stealthed.

Better go back & check then be sure to check to see whether they are
checking your IP (as in allocated to your router) or one of SKYs servers.

It's just done a check on mine giving an IP 90.194.222.223, unfortunately
(for them) my IP starts 195.189...

In other words it's checking a server at SKY not your machine, as it often
does for quite a few ISP's. The only time I can remember it actually
checking my allocated IP was when I was with Plusnet & that was most
probably due to the fact that they allocated fixed IPs for a few of their
packages.

In otherwords don't believe what you find on the internet at face value
until you've checked. As for the OPs site I wouldn't touch Shareazza with a
barge pole & seeing as you have to use that to run the check......I don't
think I'll bother. Would you??223

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Dave Boomhauer
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using their
>router........
>
>Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/
>
>which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports 1864,
>4443, 5566 and 5190...
>
>I ran a port scan earlier today (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp)
>just to check I'm secure and these showed up as open. Before I switched to
>the Sky router my PC was 100% secure port wise...
>
>I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've changed
>nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs etc/ changed
>anything else)......
>
>
Dave,

These ports were left open by early versions the Netgear firmware on the
834 series.

I remember not long after getting mine (a V1 2004?) there was a long
series of discussions on a Netgear forum (since closed) about these
ports being open. With subsequent releases of the firmware they were
closed, then re-opened, then closed again.

Looks like the SKY routers are based on one of the firmware releases
that left these ports open.

The standard mechanism for closing them down was to install a rule in
the firewall to always allow inbound traffic, any protocol, and route it
to an internal IP that was never used (outside the range set for the
DHCP server).

Later releases of the firmware closed them permanently.

Regards
--
Peter R Cook

"Dave Boomhauer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using their
>router........
>
> Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/
>
> which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports 1864,
> 4443, 5566 and 5190...
>
> I ran a port scan earlier today
> (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp) just to check I'm secure and
> these showed up as open. Before I switched to the Sky router my PC was
> 100% secure port wise...
>
> I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've
> changed nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs etc/
> changed anything else)......
>
No! read the documents with the file sharing program, look at what
universal plug'n'play is for.
Your P2P program is telling the router to open various ports when it runs,
or when the PC is switched on if you have set it that way. Those ports just
stay open, sometimes when you close the P2P program. That is why it will
not clear until you stop the P2P starting when Windows does or you switch
the router off and on again.
You could always set port forwarding and alter the program and the way it
connects if you prefer.
Don't forget to run a firewall on your PC that works on incoming and
outgoing traffic. This will control which programs connect out or send
emails without your knowledge. You need a quick lesson on Internet
security.

"Trevor" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:45fc9142$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Dave Boomhauer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>I have a feeling Sky keep certain ports open on your PC when using their
>>router........
>>
>> Go to http://test.atomo64.puffinhost.com/
>>
>> which is a site that tests if you have open ports and put in ports 1864,
>> 4443, 5566 and 5190...
>>
>> I ran a port scan earlier today
>> (http://www.auditmypc.com/firewall-test.asp) just to check I'm secure and
>> these showed up as open. Before I switched to the Sky router my PC was
>> 100% secure port wise...
>>
>> I can only assume that the Sky router keeps these ports open as I've
>> changed nothing else on my PC (ie haven't installed any new programs etc/
>> changed anything else)......
>>
> No! read the documents with the file sharing program, look at what
> universal plug'n'play is for.
> Your P2P program is telling the router to open various ports when it runs,
> or when the PC is switched on if you have set it that way. Those ports
> just stay open, sometimes when you close the P2P program. That is why it
> will not clear until you stop the P2P starting when Windows does or you
> switch the router off and on again.
> You could always set port forwarding and alter the program and the way it
> connects if you prefer.
> Don't forget to run a firewall on your PC that works on incoming and
> outgoing traffic. This will control which programs connect out or send
> emails without your knowledge. You need a quick lesson on Internet
> security.
>
Trevor, I have exactly the same programs and configuration on my PC that I
had BEFORE I switched to the Sky router - BEFORE there were no holes using a
Netgear DG834 v3 - ALL ports were stealthed. NOW I have switched to the Sky
router those four are open. UPnP is disabled too.

>> No! read the documents with the file sharing program, look at what
>> universal plug'n'play is for.
>> Your P2P program is telling the router to open various ports when it
>> runs, or when the PC is switched on if you have set it that way. Those
>> ports just stay open, sometimes when you close the P2P program. That is
>> why it will not clear until you stop the P2P starting when Windows does
>> or you switch the router off and on again.
>> You could always set port forwarding and alter the program and the way it
>> connects if you prefer.
>> Don't forget to run a firewall on your PC that works on incoming and
>> outgoing traffic. This will control which programs connect out or send
>> emails without your knowledge. You need a quick lesson on Internet
>> security.
>>
> Trevor, I have exactly the same programs and configuration on my PC that I
> had BEFORE I switched to the Sky router - BEFORE there were no holes using
> a Netgear DG834 v3 - ALL ports were stealthed. NOW I have switched to the
> Sky router those four are open. UPnP is disabled too.
> On an unrelated matter I thought I'd scan ports on my XP machine here to
> see if any were open. Four TCP ports show up as open, but do not respond -
> I scratched my head and thought of Sky.....Whether right/ wrong or down
> right paranoid I came up with this.....
>
> Sky must have had certain ports programmed into their version of the
> firmware for the Netgear router to be open for them in order to remotely
> upgrade/ interrogate.
>
> What do people think about this?
>
You need to learn how to use the programs you have running - especially
peer2peer ones. You must have something to hide! I would watch what is on
your hard drive and what files you are advertising and sharing with others -
you might get a knock on the door one morning.
You probably have reason to be paranoid.

Don't insinuate also. You seem very cock sure of yourself. I know how to use
p2p and it's for genuine, wholesome reasons only. The reason I don't want
ports open is for the plain fact you get viruses/ malware downloaded onto
your PC. After checking this the only conclusion I could arrive at was that
the Sky box leaves ports open. That's a security risk as far as I can see.
Trevor do you leave your front door and windows open on your house when you
go out??

In article <ethus4$qq$(E-Mail Removed)>, kraftee
of kraftee@b&e-cottee.me.uk, felt we'd be interested in the following...


> As for the OPs site I wouldn't touch Shareazza with a
> barge pole

Why? They claim it to be spy or malware free, and it is shown to be one
of the most popular P2P applications in use.

I don't personally use it, but if I wanted a P2P app, I'd look closely
at it.

Do you know something different?

--
My reply address is invalid.
Please post replies to the group.
Messages sent via Google Groups are 'auto-ignored'
XPS M1710 / 2.16 GHz dual core / 2Gb DDR2 / nVidia GeForce 7950GTX

> > As for the OPs site I wouldn't touch Shareazza with a
> > barge pole
> Why? They claim it to be spy or malware free, and it is shown to be one
> of the most popular P2P applications in use.
> I don't personally use it, but if I wanted a P2P app, I'd look closely
> at it.
> Do you know something different?

Limewire / Shareaza will open up file sharing directories on your
machine that will allow anyone to download files you have that someone
else may want.

Bear in mind that by effectively allowing anyone to see those files,
you're making yourself a very easy target for the likes of the RIAA to
gather enough evidence against you for a prosecution - the intent to
download copyright material is much easier to prove if it's obvious that
you have a quantity of it on your system.

If you use a bittorrent system however, you only share specific files -
the ones for which the .torrent is actually running. Once you stop the
torrent, you effectively "disappear" from the system.

If you then use something like PeerGuardian to restrict which systems
the computer connects to - although the RIAA etc. can see you have an
"interest" in a particular file, it's harder for them to prove an
ongoing code of conduct that will make their life easy.

A fixed IP address will make their lives a little easier, but a dynamic
IP address will need multiple requests to the ISP to prove who had what,
and when.

"Dave Boomhauer" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...

> Trevor, I have exactly the same programs and configuration on my PC that I
> had BEFORE I switched to the Sky router - BEFORE there were no holes using
> a Netgear DG834 v3 - ALL ports were stealthed. NOW I have switched to the
> Sky router those four are open. UPnP is disabled too.

Could you have got a dodgy router?
My UPnP is enabled by default. Had the router two weeks, not touched any of
those settings.