Windows Firewall

[Noonmid27]

Hi guysI just had a quick question about the windows firewall......... Inside the exceptions tab i have a box check off for an AIO printer 942 server.........what i want to know is if the printer is using port 942 and also do i need to have this box check off. I mean it says i can allow communication to this device from anybody on the internet as well as the local computer. Also i have things like remote assistance check off as well.......Is having these service check off dangerous?

[Noonmid27]

yes, the check-in-the-box indicates an open port.as to what-from-the-internet has access to that port:1. i assume that your pc does not have a public ip address, that is an address supplied by your isp that is visible on the internet.2. i assume that you have a router / firewall between that pc and the internet.that being said, your pc should be invisible from the internet,that is, no connection can originate from the internet.ways that your pc becomes visible from the internet:1. you intentionally set up "port forwarding" on your router / firewall.port forwarding allows 1 public (internet-visible) ip address to shared by many non-routable private addresses (inside addresses) (or services such as ftp, http, etc.) - the public address uses a different port for each inside, private ip address - this is also known as PAT2. you intentionally have a public ip (internet visible) on your pc's nic.oops. really really bad idea.3. your pc is compromised with malware which entered from a visit to a hostile website.you initiated the communication, so traffic from the website is allowed back into your pc.the hostile program now on your pc initiates traffic (on port 80, http, which you will never block) so anything it communicates with is now also allowed in.further, the hostile program can access any ports you've opened on your pc, so, yes, it can use your port 942 on your inside network.

Just so i dont start a new thread...........i will post this question in this thread. Under the add new printer tab, i have a variety of printers to choose from. I know these are virtual printers, but i wanted to know if they all share the same code.......obviously the drivers would probably be different because im sure all these printers do not use the same language. but the virtual printers that the OS creates all contain the same code correct?