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Its easier to block all ports and them open up only the ones you need for mail and internet access. &nbsp;Your router also may have port filtering which is worth a look.<br />
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80 - HTTP - Internet, 110 - pop3 - email etc. &nbsp;All port numbers are listed here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers" rel="ugc">http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers</a><br />
<br />

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Its easier to block all ports and them open up only the ones you need for mail and internet access.  Your router also may have port filtering which is worth a look.

80 - HTTP - Internet, 110 - pop3 - email etc.  All port numbers are listed here:

http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers [http://www.iana.org/assignments/port-numbers]



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go to <a href="http://www.grc.com" rel="ugc">www.grc.com</a>&nbsp;and test your sheilds and scan your ports<br />
chances are they are already blocked, and you may be back here asking how to open some (for games, etc)
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go to www.grc.com [http://www.grc.com] and test your sheilds and scan your ports
chances are they are already blocked, and you may be back here asking how to open some (for games, etc)

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inless you are running a www or mail server, do not open port 80 or 110... you will still be able to get to the web and get your mail with these ports closed since your firewall sees that these connections were started from the &quot;inside&quot; and not the &quot;outside&quot; so it will allow them to come thru. &nbsp; If you do open these ports you will have to do port forwarding to direct them to a particular machine on the inside since what is actually going on is PAT (port address translation).
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inless you are running a www or mail server, do not open port 80 or 110... you will still be able to get to the web and get your mail with these ports closed since your firewall sees that these connections were started from the "inside" and not the "outside" so it will allow them to come thru.   If you do open these ports you will have to do port forwarding to direct them to a particular machine on the inside since what is actually going on is PAT (port address translation).

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Hi,<br />
I believe I have an okay understanding of how port numbers work. I just bought a router and firewall software. I need to know how do I configure the firewall, in other words, how do I know which local ports to block to avoid intruders. Thanks for any help on this.
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Hi,
I believe I have an okay understanding of how port numbers work. I just bought a router and firewall software. I need to know how do I configure the firewall, in other words, how do I know which local ports to block to avoid intruders. Thanks for any help on this.

Firewall/Port information

Software firewalls, also known as host-based firewalls, provide a layer of software on one host that controls network traffic in and out of that single machine. Most operating systems now include firewall software, but many available software firewalls include central distribution, antivirus systems and disaster recovery.

Software Firewalls

Hardware-based firewalls provide more sophisticated protection for inbound and outbound traffic than the simple Windows software firewall or the basic NAT firewalls found in routers. These devices implement techniques such as stateful packet inspection, deep packet inspection, and content filtering; and may include built-in antivirus and anti-malware protection.

Hardware Firewalls

Networking is the process of connecting computing devices, peripherals and terminals together through a system that uses wiring, cabling or radio waves that enable their users to communicate, share information and interact over distances. Often associated are issues regarding operating systems, hardware and equipment, cloud and virtual networking, protocols, architecture, storage and management.