Port sniffing may herald attack

Industry analysts and security experts are divided on the meaning of a recent surge in TCP port 445 sniffing, related to the recently patched Windows Server Message Block protocol. Gartner says the activity may indicate an imminent mass attack, but Symantec says it's merely background noise. Whoever's right, they agree that now is a good time to ensure the port is blocked at your firewall.

For more on the prospect:
- see this Computerworld article