A computer port can be several things. They are sometimes used as a communication channel, and at other times they are used as an interface between one computer and the next or within the contexts of a network.
1. March 16th, 2013 Published by: Anonymous Ip Address HQ
What is a port?
it ten years ago. If your computer is not protected,
What is a port? then every 20 minutes your compute is at risk of
Source: http://ipaddresshq.com/what-is-a-port/ being infected. What is worse is that malware is
A computer port can be several things. They are often just the precursor to worse things like hackers.
sometimes used as a communication channel, and There are a lot of people out there that are very
at other times they are used as an interface between interested in gathering personal information and
one computer and the next or within the contexts financial data that do not belong to them.
of a network. Computer ports may also be physical Protecting Ports:
or virtual depending on their connection type. In
common terms, a port is really an access point or Installing and utilizing a firewall is one of the
an outlet. Most of the time they are used to dock preferred methods of defending ports. Upgrading
peripheral accessories to our computer. Docking is and /or installing technology-current versions of
the computer term for plugging it into something. antivirus/antimalware are also recommended. If
So docking a device means to plug it into a port. If you are not very good with computers, than consider
you have a cell phone, you are constantly utilizing an antivirus package that comes with technical
one of its ports. Each time you connect the charging support. Once such service would be Comodo.com,
cable to the phone you are plugging the cable into their GeekBuddy program is an award winning
a port. program. You can allow the GeekBuddy technicians
to set up your security system for you. It is a free
Ports are either Opened or Closed, and both terms service with the antivirus suite.
are important to understand. An open port is one
that is able to receive packets of data. So the
opposite of an open port is a port that denies
packets, and this would be the definition of a closed
port. Open and closed refer to security measures
that affect how communication between a computer
and the Internet occurs. If you unplug a cord from a
port, that port might still be open, even though the
cable is no longer attached to the computer. Open
and closed can best be thought of in an electronic
sense of whether or not data can flow through the
port.
Are Ports Dangerous?
Ports are very dangerous if you do not have security
software set up to defend your ports. Trojans, which
are a form of malware, use open ports to spread
themselves throughout a network of computers.
Even as technology changes, malware still finds
a way of penetrating defences, and ports are no
exception. Statics show that it takes only 20 minutes
once malware is released to the Internet for it to find
a host. That is about half of the time that used to take