open ping

[jennie171]

I did a security scan at the Norton Website and it tells me that my computer is safe, BUT (there is always a but somewhere) it tells me that my computer responds to a "PING". Any idea where, what, why, and how? This is a new one to me.

 

[m3trj]

A ping is where a packet of data containing nothing (well usually the alphabet) is sent to your computer, so that your computer will respond by relying and the computer that sent it can calculate the time taken for the data to get there and back, and it also tells it that your computer exists. If your computer responds to a ping, it therefore means that you are not completely stealthed on the internet.

 

[Osiris]

Ping sends a packet to a remote or local host, requesting an echo. If the echo is returned, the site is up.

If the echo is not returned, it can indicate that either the site is down or there is some sort of network trouble along the way, although most of today's web site are behind a Firewall , which prevents the ping from returning.

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Whoopdee, answering a ping is perfectly normal and not a security concern.

 

[bla!!]

That's somewhat right, but if your computer answers the ping, the person that sent it now knows that a computer lives at that specific ip address.

They can then do a tracerout to the ip and get a general location.

Go here for symantec's online support . Choose the program (probably Norton Internet Security) and the version. Then type ping in the search box to find how to enable/disable ping responses.

 

[Osiris]

Whoopdee, answering a ping is perfectly normal and not a security concern.

Yes it can be a security concern..