
Moreover, they use port scanners with vulnerability management tools to determine new devices present on the network that need the utmost security.Ī port scanner identifies active hosts inside the specified IP address range by examining the entire IP address block using TCP and Pen testers and network administrators use port scanners to find weak and exploitable systems to strengthen them against malicious attacks.

Hackers or attackers also use port scanners to determine services running on the network and exploit their vulnerability. This information includes DNS, MAC, connected IP, and the name and details of each port’s interface. Additionally, many advanced port scanners provide detailed information about the ports present on the network. In addition, it helps you to identify all hosts connected and services, like FTP or HTTP, running on the network to detect any security breach. it helps you to run a scan for open ports. So let us first know what a port scanner is.Ī port scanner enables you to determine all open ports present on the network i.e. Moreover, it exposes the existence of security devices on the network, such as firewalls between the source and the destination.

Similarly, when a port scan runs on a network, it exposes which ports are open and receiving the information. In the context of our example, port scanning is the process of knocking on doors to check if someone is home. The method of determining the open ports on the network is called a port scan (you can also do a remote port scan).

To understand clearly ports, consider ports as entry points or doors of a house and services as the traffic entering into a house via entry points. In other words, it is a point where information is sent and received. In the networking world, a port is an endpoint where communication takes place.
