im not exaclty sure what the problem was, i was just like "ya ya ya fix whatevers broke, and he said blah blah blah something about changing my ip address every once in a while. and i have norton internet security 2006, that supposively has a firewall built in. do you guys suggest another program?

 

Sorry Vader, I meant I had to reread what the tech told Smeezy because it didn't make sense.
If there actually was a hacker in Smeezy's computer it was probably just someone with a port sniffer and poor/no security on Smeezy's part.

 

No worries....sometimes I type too fast and leave out punctuation to make it make sense....thought I had again


BTW Smeezy NIS will work fine if you have it configured correctly. Adding a router, as suggested, is also important. However nothing is perfect unless you unhook from the Internet.

 

Well, if you get a router, you wont need a firewall....just soem Anti-Virus software. Ditching the firewall will free up some sytem resources which in turn will help you machine run better. Not to mention Norton is a system resource *****. Your better off with a router no matter how you look at it.

 

ok, i'm going to go grab a router, is there an exactly model or anything i should look for? i hate going into computer stores to buy something not knowing exactly what i'm looking for, the guy working there always looks at me like i'm an idiot when i try to explain to him what i want

 

Jamz...this part I disagree with. Typically home version of routers include basic protection utilizing NAT and port stealthing. Unless the router has software built in to provide better protection that is not sufficient. Most routers will allow OUT all traffic. Software FWs such as NIS, BlackICE, or ZoneAlarm will alert you to a new program trying to get out which can be just as risking as something coming in. AV is a must but with malware as prevelant as it is software FWs are essential. Novice users dont know enough to avoid clicking yes or no at the right times and these programs will help.

 

Oh yeah. I agree with that. I guess I wasn't specific enough. My bad.

 

Try this one out:

Linksys EtherFast® Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint
Connect Your Network to the Internet and Access a Remote Network - with Security and Peace of Mind

Get a wired router not a wireless router. Due to security issues (which is why this thread got started - I think). Unless you know how to secure that wireless connection....dont bother.

 

How would you expect him to look at you?

 

I want a 4 Port Linksys Router..No wireless please.

 

Good answer.

 

Yeah, the linksys router helps. Here's what I do/run.....

Linksys router - this stops a lot of things from running as a "server" on your network not perfect, just another layer
Zone Alarm ( http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/catalog/products/sku_list_za.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en&lid=dbtop nav_zass ) use the free version if you try it, it will ask you again when installing, select standard not pro. NIS works too, but Norton has become notorious for bloatware.
A good antivirus, I use E-trust antivirus
Adaware spyware removal ( http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware&subj=dl&tag=top5
A can of common sense don't randomly download and install stuff and be suspicious of stuff wanting to install from websites. Read the prompts and when in doubt "NO" or "cancel" is a good answer. I usually click the "X" at the top right of anything that's wanting to install so I don't get duped.

As far as the IP thing, well, I'm gonna pull the BS flag out. Yeah, an IP address can be spoofed but there's not much you can do about that. It's not so easy to do in this day and age though. Your cable modem most likely won't change IP's anyway unless you shut it off for several hours (overnight sometimes). Lastly it's possible you got a trojan virus that is allowing someone into your machine to do "things" with it. A good antivirus should pick that up though. The router helps with this too by not allowing unsolicited incoming traffic unless you tell it to allow it.

 

I would suggest this router

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833122008

I guess Linksys has been having some problems. I have an old Linksys and it's not perfect either. Netgear is a solid product IMO. D-Link is meh in my experience.

 

Good one Viper, I completely forgot all about Netgear. This is also a good router. I get calls everyday with our customers having trouble with D-Link's though. Iwould try and stay away from those. Linksys routers are good, if you keep the firmware up to date...I haven't had any trouble with mine.

The Netgear Viper posted has these security features:

Firewall: DoS Attacks Detection Logging, Dropped Packet Log, Security Event Log, E-mail Log; VPN Functionality: NAT traversal (VPN pass-through) for IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP VPNs

 

My vote,

Linksys WRT54G, Hopefully/preferabbly version 1-4. Version 5 is alright, works just as well, but is not as expandable for advanced use.
It is a wireless, but you can disable the wireless and it will simply be a 4 port router. Then later if you decided you want to expand your network, you will have that option. For less than $50 at walmart, you can't beat it and cant go wrong