"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
>
>