nanog mailing list archives
Re: Port scanning legal
From: <mdevney () teamsphere com>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 16:26:33 -0800 (PST)
On Tue, 19 Dec 2000 Valdis.Kletnieks () vt edu wrote:
3) Let's not forget that a *scan* only actually impairs the integrity of a network that hasn't been secured against scanning. You'll never have somebody walk up to you and say "Hey, your front door is unlocked" if you always lock your front door.
I do not understand why people get so uppity about a scan. Let's be real here, a simple portscan is about equivalent to walking along a sidewalk and checking out the houses for open windows and doors. And about as harmful. What is harmful is what sometimes comes after that. (Not always; not usually; not even half the time I'd bet.) But the only damage a portscan does is a few packets over your network and maybe 4M of logs (depending on how you're logging). When writing and enforcing laws, it's important to punish what's harmful, not what may be harmful. Or else looking at houses as you walk down the street may be illegal. Matthew Devney System Administrator Teamsphere Interactive
Current thread:
- Port scanning legal Edward S. Marshall (Dec 19)
- RE: Port scanning legal Jeff Wheat (Dec 19)
- RE: Port scanning legal Patrick Evans (Dec 19)
- RE: Port scanning legal John Fraizer (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Shawn McMahon (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Alex Rubenstein (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Deepak Jain (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Leo Bicknell (Dec 19)
- RE: Port scanning legal Jeff Wheat (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Valdis . Kletnieks (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal mdevney (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Christian Kuhtz (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Todd Suiter (Dec 19)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: Port scanning legal Mark Borchers (Dec 19)
- RE: Port scanning legal Roeland Meyer (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Shawn McMahon (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Dan Hollis (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal L. Sassaman (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Majdi S. Abbas (Dec 19)
- Re: Port scanning legal Shawn McMahon (Dec 19)