I have had intrusions, how should I handle this?

[JeanClaude]

This is on my home PC. I checked my Norton internet firewall to find that I have been having intrusion attempts. It gives me a IP# of the ones doing it. What should I do about this? I know its not the end of the world but before the last time I reformated I had hundreds of these and it bothers me and is a bit annoying.

Are there any options for me?

 

[UMCPWintermute]

There's a difference between an intrusion attempt and an intrusion.

Every internet-facing computer has/is/will receive millions of "intrusion attempts", be it portscans, automated exploits, etc. - and there's nothing you can ever do about it, short of unplugging the computer.

However, if you think your computer has been compromised, make sure you've got the latest AV definitions for your vendor of choice, and latest definitions for AdAware/Spybot. Unplug your computer from the internet, boot into safe mode, and scour your computer with a fine-tooth comb, cleaning it out. I'd personally recommend rebuilding the computer, to ensure that you're safe.

Either way, make sure you're completely up to date for Operating System patches, up to date on AV software, running a firewall, and don't use shady software/P2P networks - as they're fairly common infection vectors.