Quite often when I'm on Renderosity, I'm logging attempts to break into my computer. Curious. It's not happening elsewhere. Anyone got any ideas why?????

It happens to me eveywhere, but at Renderosity it has recently started as soon as I log in. Mostly from the Orient, but yesterday from some highschool. With that new hacker program available commercially, maybe a lot more hobby hackers are looking for open doors. If you don't have a firewall and have open network setting, you're an open invitation. Pinto

The Renderosity server itself sits behind a firewall. So it's probably just a coincidence that it happens when you are here. Personally, my machine at home gets hit about a dozen times an hour, 24 hours a day. The price you pay for a permanent IP. Thank goodness for my hardware firewall.

Yup, I have my hardwire firewall and zonealarm pro...lol I haven't been hit since I got the hardwire router set up. Marque

Any suggestions on minimum protection?

Where can I get a firewall? Can you recommend a good one? What software will it damage or interfere with?

At a minimum, a software firewall product. I believe hardware is better. I have a little 4-port LinkSys Router/Firewall, that costs under $100 now. I have assigned my IP address to the router, and all my machines have non-routable internal IP addresses. I can configure the firewall so that an outsider can't even tell a machine is turned on at that IP address, while I'm surfing away behind it. :)

BTW, this topic has been covered pretty extensively in the Hardware forum. You might want to browse over there for ideas.

(network dummie here) Does this ONLY affect those with permanent IP addresses??

Attached Link: http://www.zonealarm.com/

I've used ZoneAlarm and now I use the same firewall that Russ uses from Lynksys. They both work well but I agree with Russ...I would go hardware if you can. ZoneAlarm is free for personal use and it works well. Clint

No Nance, it affect everyone on the internet. Most of the time, these people just scan IP address looking for a particular response from the machine. When you dial up to your ISP, you have a REAL IP address associated with your machine, even if it is only temporary, and will be different the next time you call. While you are online, you are vulnerable.

PhilC "minimum protection"; these days I would recommend Zone Alarm (freebie) or Sygate (freebie) for minimum protection but only minimum for dial ups. DIGITAL connections should have a regular full firewall set up and networks definatly go with hard ware. Most of the pings are just random from various sources but many are also just some board hacker looking for.....? I work now for an Internet Co. and have been on line since before public ISP accesses, only about thrice can I remember an actual "envasion" and only because he was still attached when I tried to log off (using dial-up). Zone Alarm will also inform you of programs 'in your machine' trying to report out....definatly these days everyone should at least use a freebie if for nothing else, 'Piece of Mind & A Little Knowledge'. But of course, for Maximum Protection.....just don't log on..nuff said.

I agree... ZoneAlarm is a great starting point. I also use a hardware router/firewall but I prefer the NetGear to the LinkSys. No particular reason - I just have a fonfness for NetGear equiptment.

You can download an ISO image of a program called hardwall (I think) it's basically a stipped down version of Linux configured to run as a standalone firewall, all you need to do is install it on an old 386/486 or something, and do IP masquerading from that machine to the machine you surf from, (or set up DHCP) you can do that over a bit of ethernet cable one machine to the other, or by a simple 10/100 hub. Just go to freshmeat.net and look for firewalls, you'll find it :) There's also a program called Freedom, by Zero Knowledge corp, which prevents external machines accessing data from your box, it's more used to stop cookies, etc. but I think it too has a "paranoid" mode :) later jb

Pvlassov, I've never had that problem. Pinto

A few times I have seen a particular user's messages come up in Technical font instead of the usual font.

If the message is encoded in another language, like russian or chinese or japanese.. the closest translation would be the Tech font depending on the first word which tends to set the font type...