Ping Sweep and Port Scan free essay sample

Ping Sweeps and Port Scans The use of computers in this generation has been a necessity. A lot of companies depend on computers to operate their business which is why it is essential to learn the different threats that other people could use to attack their business. New technologies are on the rise these days and the knowledge that people have about computers can be accessed easily on the internet. Different kind of hackers can get access to people’s computers easily with the necessary knowledge and devices. People need to be aware of these kinds of threat and help them by preventing their computers or networks of being hacked. Hackers today uses ping sweeps and port scans to gain access to networks. Learning how ping sweep and port scans are utilized can help us protect ourselves from these hackers. Ping sweep is a type of network probe or network attack. We will write a custom essay sample on Ping Sweep and Port Scan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People uses ping sweep to know if a computer or network exist. Basically, the user ping the computer or network by their IP Address. Once the ping request has been sent, the user should get a reply back from the computer, notifying the user that it is online. If the user did not receive any reply then more likely the computer is down. The ping sweep method can also be used by hackers to know which computers or networks are available, so they can plan their attack. According to Lawrence Theo, (Networks Probes Explained: Understanding Port Scans and Ping Sweeps), â€Å"fping is a tool that can be used for conducting ping sweeps†. â€Å"Unlike normal ping, fping sends one ping packet to one IP address, and then proceeds immediately to the next IP address. † Learning ping sweep and how it can be used is essential to protect our information. Port scan is another type of network probe. It is considered the most common method of network probing which is used by intruders to gain access to computers and discover what kind of services are running in the computer. There are different types of scans that an intruder can use to gain access of the computer. First, an intruder needs to know which ports are open and which are active or listening, because this will identify the operating system and application being used. Then, the intruder will have to connect or initialized a connection to the port. If the intruder knows its way around the operating system, more likely the intruder can gain control of the computer. It could be crucial how port scan can be used by the wrong people which can result to exploitation of personal information. Understanding the idea of ping sweep and port scan should be given importance especially in this generation, where new technologies are constantly upgrading and continuously growing. The more people know about these types of attacks, the more that they can prevent themselves and prepare for these types of methods that intruders use. People should frequently be educated to these kinds of scanning methods, the different maintenance of their systems, and the applying settings for their computers. Learning more about how to set up firewalls and setting up extra security to personal information. Hackers, intruders, attackers can be driven away by having a tight security to the system and being aware of them. References: Lawrence, T. Dec. 01, 2001. â€Å"Network Probes Explained: Understanding Port Scans and Ping Sweep. http://www. linuxjournal. com/article/4234 Arkin, O. , November 2009. â€Å"Network Scanning Techniques† http://www. arcert. gov. ar/webs/textos/netscan. pdf