ICMP Open?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John C
  • Start date Start date
J

John C

I have just tested my computer running XP with Zone alarm and the result is
Protocol: ICPM, Type: 8, Status: open, this seems to have occurred since I
added another computer on a network, zone alarm keeps it blocked on the high
internet zone setting, but on medium which I need to have it on to use my
FTP program it is open.

Thanks in advance for any advice on how to close it.

John
 
John said:
I have just tested my computer running XP with Zone alarm and the result is
Protocol: ICPM, Type: 8, Status: open, this seems to have occurred since I
added another computer on a network, zone alarm keeps it blocked on the high
internet zone setting, but on medium which I need to have it on to use my
FTP program it is open.
Click to expand...

Check your firewall settings. I believe ICMP type is Echo or Echo Reply
i.e. used for Ping (Packet Internet Groper). ICMP could be used
maliciously for a DoS attack, but that's fairly rare for home users.

michael
 
I have just tested my computer running XP with Zone alarm and the result is
Protocol: ICPM, Type: 8, Status: open, this seems to have occurred since I
added another computer on a network, zone alarm keeps it blocked on the high
internet zone setting, but on medium which I need to have it on to use my
FTP program it is open.

Thanks in advance for any advice on how to close it.

John
Click to expand...
************* REPLY SEPARATER ***************
You should not waste your time worrying about ICMP. Although it is possible to
be subjected to a DoS attact using a fake source address, it is only a
consideration when there is no bottleneck. That is to say, your own network
connection to the Internet is a bottleneck, and therefore anything that you do
will have little impact on traffic levels directed to your assigned IP address.
To have any impact at all, ping traffic must be sqelched farther up the chain
at one of the routers. Sqelching it at your own gateway is a waste of time, and
removes a valuable troubleshooting tool.

This same logic can be extended to any UDP type traffic directed to your IP
address, not just ICMP.

J.A. Coutts
 
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