IDS: looks like portscans..?

[Matt Lemsing <mlemsing@swavley.com.au>]

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hi there, 

I am fairly new to IDS, but due to my need to secure our system, i
imagine i will be frequenting this list a bit. The following was taken
taken from our log files, and i just wanted to ask a few questions about
what 's there..

*****************************************************************
May 24 12:55:29 netcon1 ipop3d[14793]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:29 netcon1 ipop3d[14793]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:29 netcon1 ipop3d[14794]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:29 netcon1 ipop3d[14794]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:29 netcon1 ipop3d[14795]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14796]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14796]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14795]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14797]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14797]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14798]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14798]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14799]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:30 netcon1 ipop3d[14799]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:48 netcon1 ipop3d[14800]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
May 24 12:55:48 netcon1 ipop3d[14800]: connect from unknown
May 24 12:55:49 netcon1 ipop3d[14801]: warning: can't get client
address: Connection reset by peer
*****************************************************

Is this indicative of a port scan or someone trying to get in, or what?
and if so, what kind if tools exist to..

a) protect against these attacks..
b) notify me when they are happening..
c) are reasonably easy to setup..?

I am runing RH Linux 5.2.... any help wouod be greatly appreciated as i
have already lost too much time to these scumsucking weezels who are
trying to get in....

Matt