Wow, you are definitely kind in sharing this. Would you mind taking some time and look through the following output from my machine? paul at desk/paul-Lenovo ~ $ ifconfig -a | grep "inet addr" inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0 inet addr:192.168.1.13 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0 paul at desk/paul-Lenovo ~ $ ip addr | grep inet inet 127.0.0.1/8 scope host lo inet6 ::1/128 scope host inet 192.168.1.13/24 brd 192.168.1.255 scope global wlan0 inet6 fe80::21c:10ff:fee5:2136/64 scope link paul at desk/paul-Lenovo ~ $ 1. what do/does the line's above labeled 'scope' refer to? I understand that I am not using ipv6 at this point in time. I will end this message with only the above question i'm amazed you took your time to actually type that out. thanks, -- paul g Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2015 03:03:59 -0600 From: tclug at freakzilla.com To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org Subject: Re: [tclug-list] The cleaner: "Internet Protocol"? Paul, we invented abbreviations for a reason. Most likely your IP address is NATted via your router/cablemodem. You can check this by using the "ifconfig" or "ip" commands on your computer. For example: % ifconfig -a | grep "inet addr" inet addr:192.168.0.74 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0 For some reason a bunhc of Linux distros are trying to replace this completely functional command with the "ip" command, so: % ip addr | grep inet inet 192.168.0.74/24 brd 192.168.0.255 scope global eth0 Now you'll see other addresses, too, most likely loopback (127.0.0.1) and some ipv6 crap. Now, like I said, your computer(s) are probably using non-routable addresses which cannot be reached form the internet. If your IP address is in one of the following networks, it is not accessible directly from the internet: 192.168.* 10.* 172.16.* through 172.31.* You can go to http://ipchicken.com to see your publically-viewable IP address. You can compare that to what you see through the previous commands. The address you see form the internet is likely your router/cablemodem/whatever. THAT is accessible from the internet, but your ISP is likely blocking many known ports. Comcast, for example, will be blocking just about anything inbound. Either way, securing a computer ranges from trivial stuff like disabling/uninstalling any service you're not using (no need to run Apache on your desktop, right? And no need to run telnet ANYWHERE EVER), to complicated (building a separate firewall machine and putting it between your router and internal computers). Like I said, this can get complicated, and you should secure your computers either way, but most likely they cannot be accessed directly from the internet without you installing special software for that (aka malware). On Tue, 3 Feb 2015, paul g wrote: > 1. How secure is my home network when someone has my internet protocal > address? > > 2. What measures can I take to secure my computer from becoming a victim? > > Thank you for your time, > > gobble gobble, > --- > paul g > > > > Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2015 02:47:52 -0600 > > From: tclug at freakzilla.com > > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > Subject: Re: [tclug-list] The cleaner: > > > > > > > > > which of course I know I should not do. > > > > CORRECT. > > _______________________________________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota tclug-list at mn-linux.org http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://mailman.mn-linux.org/pipermail/tclug-list/attachments/20150203/32449786/attachment-0001.html>