quote:
Originally posted by ShawnZ
People can send viruses to my computer when they have my IP Address is a BIG FAT MYTH: There is no way you can get a virus through someone getting your IP address, unless they manage to hack you (which is unlikely.) As long as you have a decent firewall like Windows Firewall, you will be fine. [i]You can, however, get viruses from websites you visit (If in Internet Explorer,) files you share, and programs you download.
An amendment to this. shawnz, imagine rxbot scans an IP and finds the lsass port open and remotely executes the code to infect the box with the drone... thats kind of "someone sending a virus to your computer when they have your IP" - it's rare, but possible.
As for the initial point about it being illegal... I don't think it is strictly against the law to know someone's IP - afterall you could GUESS it. I do think that if someone wants to connect via an MSN server for their conversations then tricking them into a file transfer and finding their IP via netstat is slightly invasive; although such a thing would probably not hold up in court.
