w media player being remotely accessed

[babyoh]

i just got this norton firewall alert, and i'm not sure if this connection is safe to allow:
a remote system is attempting to access microsoft windows media player on your computer.
program: wmplayer.exe
path: C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\
Remote Address: 192.168.1.65: 1203
Local address: 127.0.0.1: 1203
protocol: UDP (Inbound)
Location: Default

* i tried googling, but couldn't get any info
- SAFE of RISKY...?
:Win73:

[Corrine]

Bah, Norton.   :exorcize:

The 192.168.1.65 is part of the block of IP Addresses assigned by the "Internet Assigned Numbers Authority" for private internets, as is 127.0.0.1 (there's no place like home).  So to put it simply, the "remote address" (192.168.1.65) is actually the IP address assigned to your router and the "local address" (127.0.0.1) is your computer.   

Were you using Windows Media Player or had you updated the software? 

[mikey]

The situation Corrine is speaking of is most commonly referred to as 'Localhost Loopback'. Basically it is simply a situation where your appliance is talking to itself or a peripheral device. In this case it is just talking to WMP. :)

[Corrine]

Much better explanation, Mike.  Thanks! 

[babyoh]

thanks, corrine and mikey!!

i don't know what i'd do without you folks. (probably, be much more worried about infections, in general.)



* Corrine:
i hadn't updated W Media Player, but i listen to it constantly. - i get A LOT of "do you want to upgrade?" messages, since i've stayed with version 10 on this newer computer. (i had no trouble with 11 on computer1, but have read several posts about people who lost the ability to burn CD's after moving from 10 to 11... perhaps these bugs have been worked out?)

*** is there a LIST of IP's that are ALWAYS okay to allow? (i'm assuming there are more than just 127.0.0.1, and 192.168.1.65)

- i am very much "locked down" in terms of security, and knowing what's 100 percent safe would be helpful.

* anyway, happy holidays -- and thanks for all the info year-round.

you guys rock

:thumbsup:

[Corrine]

Here you go . . .

Private Address Space, meaning that the following IP address ranges are within an internal network

The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) has reserved the
following three blocks of the IP address space for private internets:

   10.0.0.0        -  10.255.255.255  (10/8 prefix)
   172.16.0.0      -  172.31.255.255  (172.16/12 prefix)
   192.168.0.0    -  192.168.255.255 (192.168/16 prefix)

~~~~~~~~~~

Nice poinsettia image, Babyoh.  I've saved it as it may come in handy on a blog post over the Holidays.