The practice of testing network or computer ports to see if they are open and unprotected. more.
a cracker's attempt to find access channels and weak points in a computer's security by scanning or probing its system ports over the Internet.
An attempt by hackers to find the weaknesses of a computer or network by scanning or probing system ports via requests for information. It can be used by IT professionals as a genuine tool to discover and correct security holes. But it can also be used maliciously to detect and exploit weaknesses.
Port Scanning is an activity, which by using a particular type of software gives the user the ability to scan the computer system of another internet user. The purpose of which can be (but is not limited to), obtaining passwords and usernames, remotely controlling that computer or destroying data on that computer.
The act of systematically scanning a computer's ports. Since a port is a place where information goes into and out of a computer, port scanning identifies open doors to a computer. Port scanning has legitimate uses in managing networks, but port scanning also can be malicious if someone is looking for a weakened access point.
The digital equivalent of jiggling doorknobs, port scanning reveals open ports on Internet-connected PCs. Once an open port is found, a hacker can exploit the opening to try to break into the system or install malicious software. Best defense: Hardware firewall.
A technique used to try and identify the software running on a remote computer by checking which ports are open to receive network traffic. For example, port-135 to port-139 are used for Microsoft networking and thus show that the target is a Windows based machine.
Using software to access or query all known TCP ports on a system to try to identify which services and levels of security are associated with those ports. A method for determining if a network or system can be compromised.
A hacking technique used to check TCP/IP ports to reveal which services are available for exploitation, and to determine the operating system of a particular computer.
The act of sending queries to hosts in an attempt to find open ports through which an attacker can pass traffic. Port scanning is often used to find vulnerable targets for attack on the Internet.
