Windows® 98 Unleashed

TCP/IP and Internet Security

Earlier in this chapter, I told you that Windows 98 performs a security check before connecting. Specifically, it checks to make sure that the TCP/IP protocol bound to the Dial-Up Adapter isn't also bound to the File and Print Sharing service.

Why is file and print sharing such a security risk? Because unless you're careful, folders and drives that you're sharing on your network can also be accessed by people on the Internet! In other words, if you bind file and print sharing to the Dial-Up Adapter's TCP/IP protocol, you extend your shared resources to the Internet as a whole. So it wouldn't be that hard for some total Net stranger to run amok in your files and folders.

Here's how people on the Net could access your ...