Do you ever worry that someone or something has external access to your system, or wish that you could see all current connections? While its not the most elegant way of doing so, the “netstat” command can certainly work for you. To use it, simply go to “Start -> Run” and type in “cmd” (or if you use Windows 95/98, type in “command”). When the command prompt opens, type in “netstat –a.” This lists all of your active connections for all protocols. If you wish to view only open TCP connections, type in “netstat –p tcp.” When the connections are displayed, from the left to the right is the Protocol, your address and port, the foreign address and port (or who you are connected to), and the connection state. When investigating for the existence of worms, Trojan horses, and spyware, netstat can prove to be a very useful tool!