Wall Watcher VICTORY

If you didn't have a router, the packets that caused these events would get to whatever was connected in its place (probably your computer unless you have some other sort of box there.) If there are no servers listening for connections then nothing would happen except your machine would reject the connection attempts. If something was listening (you have some service running that's waiting for connections, or you have a worm/trojan/virus that opened a port), then potentially those connection attempts could succeed.

Well, it was that hard after all.

Duane :)

This going out as you call it isn't listening in the sense I was using it. If gotomypc is set up well, and isn't also opening a listening server on your end, I wouldn't think it would a security problem.

If I understand what gotomypc is doing (and this is partly assumption based on their documentation, so it should not be taken as "the truth" if you're paranoid at all.), your server is telling their server that it will accept connections. When you try to make a connection from a remote site, that client connects to their server, which handles the handshaking, encryptions, etc. Then their server passes the traffic between your server and your client. Thus no open, listening port exists on your server. It should be secure as far as direct connection attempts to your server, since there are no open ports.

The security of the whole scheme depends on the implementation and protocols used by gotomypc. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of this particular setup could tell you more.

Thanks for clarifying - makes me consider something else: I run gotomypc.com which allows me to access my pc (if it is left running)from any browser, anywhere.

From what I read two years ago when I first started using it, it is a pretty secure arrangement.

However, the program goes "out" several times a minute, looking to see if I am trying to connect so that it can allow the connection.

Now, in going "out" several times a minute, which I gather could also be referred to as "listening", would this increase the likelihood that something "uninvited" could get in? And would this be enough of a security risk to consider giving up the convenience?

Thanks.

Louise

Louise

Yes.

This depends on how secure you're estimating the software you're using for this purpose, and how high you'd guess the risks compared to the convenience.

Yours, VB.

Thanks - I think you're correct in your description.

When I'm connecting from the outside, first I connect to the gotomypc site. I authenticate myself and the pc I'm on needs to download a little program of some sort, from their site after I've authenticated myself. This program is only usable for a very short period of time. It then connects to their program on my computer and I have to authenticate myself again with different sets of passwords. And, if I can't download the little program, they have some other method. I've never had it fail me in three years.

So it isn't actually such a direct connection - I guess I wont worry but it's great how much I'm understanding and I appreciate everyone's help.

From everything I've read, and I do check up now and again, gotomypc is not considered a security risk - at least insofar as anyone can predict that..

Louise