Block Remote User from Probing my PC?

Infopackets Reader "Jessie" writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I play Yahoo pinochle quite often. Someone recently told me that they could track my ISP from inside the game room; I assume this could be done by clicking on my name while I'm in the game room. What kind of program would they use so that I can block my ISP to it and/or track their ISP? Thank you. "

My response:

Just to clarify: ISP means Internet Service Provider. For example: Bell Sympatico provides DSL Internet access to its customers.

On the other hand: IP means Internet Protocol. Additionally, an IP Address is a number (like a "mailing address") attached to your computer when you are connected to the Internet.

With respect to your question, you are asking about the IP address and not "ISP".

Having someone discover your IP is not a big deal. It happens *all* the time, in fact, even when you visit a web site your IP is recorded. However, to stop anything malicious from happening, to you by a remote attacker, you would need to:

a) install a properly configured firewall

b) make sure your computer is up to date

c) it would also be advisable to have antivirus and antispyware protection as an extra layer of protection incase someone was to somehow exploit your computer

On that note, most firewalls will block probe (ping) requests if a remote computer / user attempts to contact your computer. In this case, the firewall would instruct your computer not to respond, so that the remote user would think that his probing was not effective (and hopefully give up after that).

For detailed information on security, including how to set up a firewall, update your computer automatically, and more:

New PC Security Tutorial

For more information about Ping:

Using Trace Route and Ping to Trace Pathways on the Internet

To find out how to visually trace a "hacker":

How to Visually Trace a Hacker