What’s With the YouTube “Network Attacks”?

This isn’t the first time, either. I just got an email alert sent by my wireless router: “Network Attack Notification. From 208.65.153.241 to 192.168.0.4: 5 packts.” That first number is the IP address of YouTube’s primary server. I haven’t watched a YouTube video for days, either. Wassup?

A smart friend who knows about these things said that “YouTube might be trying to collect some basic information about its visitors. Sometimes open ports and the process behind them will respond with useful information. Worse, an ad on the page could be triggering a probe from a hidden, hostile site.”

Wow. I certainly hope not, but as some of you know, network security isn’t something most ISPs, router manufacturers, OR Apple spends a lot of time telling us about.

YouTube is all the rage just now. Interestingly, nobody can figure out their business model. (Maybe the attempted network intrusions are a clue?) If this is something normal and benign, why don’t I get “network attack notifications” pinpointing other IP addresses? I’ve had the router set up for over a week, and the only server involved is YouTube’s. No other reported probes. I’m new to the network security scene, but now that I have my own wireless network at home, I’d really like to know.

The quickest way to learn you’re full of it, I’ve found, is to post a silly question on the Internet. I don’t mind being called stupid if I’m wrong, so fire away.