A recent study of the modern cybersecurity landscape has revealed an alarming statistic: each home router faces approximately 6,000 unauthorized access attempts every day. Attackers rely on automated systems to continuously probe network devices, inspecting them for vulnerabilities through virtual ports—specialized entry points responsible for routing various types of traffic.
Standard routers include basic firewalls that silently discard suspicious requests without logging them. The true scope of the problem becomes apparent only when professional network defense solutions are installed. For instance, a pfSense firewall registers every port scan attempt, exposing a constant stream of queries from unknown sources.
Network ports function as virtual communication channels, each assigned a number for a particular data type: some process web traffic via HTTP/HTTPS, others handle email exchanges through SMTP/IMAP, while still others are dedicated to FTP connections. Modern routers support thousands of such ports, any one of which could potentially grant attackers a foothold.
Even users with dynamic IP addresses and no active network services often experience numerous scan attempts. Security specialists classify this activity as “network noise,” an ever-present background process of automated probing performed by both malicious actors and legitimate tools.
At the forefront of scanning are platforms like Shodan and Censys. These systems constantly sweep the global cyberspace, mapping network infrastructure in detail. They index open ports, identify connected devices, analyze active services, and compile metadata about system configurations. The resulting information is monetized through paid subscriptions used by security researchers and potential hackers alike.
Today’s network scanning ecosystem involves four primary vectors. Beyond these mapping services, targeted attacks on specific IP ranges systematically examine designated infrastructure for points of entry. Also prevalent are widespread “spray and pray” scans that try random addresses, hoping to stumble upon any accessible vulnerability. The fourth vector consists of legitimate assessments performed by incident response teams (IRT) and security operations centers (SOC).
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and other network services are particularly susceptible. Adversaries aggressively exploit stolen credentials and known vulnerabilities to compromise systems. Many attacks leverage specially crafted HTTP requests that take advantage of routers’ flaws in processing incoming data.
A telling example of a long-standing threat was the CVE-2018-13379 vulnerability in FortiGate devices. Although discovered in 2018, it continued to be exploited until 2023, despite the availability of patches.
F5 Labs data underscores a dramatic 94% increase in scanning activity over the past year. This surge partially reflects the discovery of new critical weaknesses in popular products. One recent vulnerability in TP-Link Archer AX21 routers, for example, allows attackers to execute commands with root privileges through a simple POST request, granting complete control of the device.
Analysts caution that the volume of attempted breaches will only climb—statistics from early 2025 already show record figures.
In the corporate arena, mid-sized organizations of around a thousand employees log approximately 40 million scanning attempts per month. Attackers persist even when no apparent weaknesses exist, betting on future configuration errors.
Having a single open port can multiply scanning intensity many times over. Attack infrastructure is distributed worldwide but is especially concentrated among major hosting providers offering virtual server capacity.
Modern security systems analyze traffic patterns, yet they often fail to identify the reputations of scanning IP addresses. Many organizations do not sufficiently prioritize blocking reconnaissance activity, compounding their exposure. A layered strategy encompassing frequent software updates, vigilant network monitoring, and proper firewall configuration is strongly recommended.
Advanced organizations deploy honeypot systems that replicate vulnerable services to study attackers’ techniques, enabling them to gather information on emerging attack methods and adapt defenses in a timely manner. Still, it remains nearly impossible to thwart scanning altogether—one can only minimize the risks.
