Why are people trying to connect to my network on TCP port 445?
I was playing with my new syslog server and had my m0n0wall firewall logs forwarded as a test, I noticed a bunch of recent firewall log entries that say that it blocked other WAN IPs from my ISP (I checked) from connecting to me on TCP port 445. Why would a random computer be trying to connect to me on a port apparently used for Windows SMB shares? Just internet garbage? A port scan?
Here is what I am seeing:
Mar 15 23:38:41 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:40.614422 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60653 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:38:42 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:41.665571 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60665 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN
Mar 15 23:38:43 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:43.165622 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60670 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:38:44 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:43.614524 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60653 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:38:44 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:43.808856 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60665 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN
Mar 15 23:38:44 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:43.836313 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.82.198.238,60670 -> 98.103.xxx,xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:38:48 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:48.305633 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.103.22.25 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx PR icmp len 20 92 icmp echo/0 IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:38:48 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:48.490778 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.103.22.25 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx PR icmp len 20 92 icmp echo/0 IN
Mar 15 23:38:48 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:38:48.550230 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.103.22.25 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx PR icmp len 20 92 icmp echo/0 IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:43:33 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:43:33.185836 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.86.34.225,64060 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
Mar 15 23:43:34 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:43:33.405137 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.86.34.225,64081 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN
Mar 15 23:43:34 gateway/gateway ipmon[121]: 23:43:33.454384 fxp0 @0:19 b 98.86.34.225,64089 -> 98.103.xxx.xxx,445 PR tcp len 20 48 -S IN broadcast
I blacked out part of my IP address for my own safety.
Solution 1:
There are lots and lots of robots (worms or viruses on infected machines, scanning bots running on compromised machines, etc) out there on the 'net looking for SMB servers that are vulnerable to security bugs or are exporting world-accessible shares. You're seeing the "ambient background noise" of that scanning traffic in your firewall logs.
It's nothing to be alarmed about. Just block the traffic and move on (like you are doing w/ your firewall). It's a fact of life on the Internet today.
Solution 2:
The Internet is a jungle, and you can get eaten. These attempts are most likely random, sweeping segments of networks looking for open ports and then vulnerabilities to exploit. Your firewall is doing it's job. Take care you don't NAT ALL inbound ports to a server, just the ones you need, then protect the applications listening on those ports and keep them up to date.