Don't Port Scan!

Jon Miyake
miyake@oregon.uoregon.edu

Unless you're authorized by the university, you should not port scan any machine you don't own. Port scanning is defined as connecting, or attempting to connect, to a series of ports on a computer (or set of computers) without prior authorization. Most system administrators consider it to be the prelude to an attack, and respond accordingly. This wastes time for system administrators and network security personnel, who must investigate and report the scan's origins and intent.

Furthermore, some computers/operating systems are not robust enough to withstand a standard port scan, and as a result, the system or services they provide will often lock up or crash when scanned. Such disruption of services may result in ongoing research being tainted or disrupted.

Unauthorized port scanning is also a serious offense under the 1999 Oregon Revised Statutes (see Computer Crime, Section 164.337):

(4) Any person who knowingly and without authorization uses, accesses, or attempts to access any computer, computer system, computer network, or any computer software, program, documentation or data contained in such computer, computer system or computer network, commits computer crime.

(5) (a) A violation of the provisions of subsection (2) or (3) of this section shall be a Class C felony. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, a violation of the provisions of subsection (4) of this section shall be a Class A misdemeanor.

If you have any questions or concerns about port scanning, feel free to contact Jon Miyake, the Computing Center's Acceptable Use Policy Officer, at miyake@oregon.uoregon.edu