Free Port Scanner for Windows

Hackers are like unruly sailors on liberty when it comes to open ports: You can't keep them out, and they leave disaster in their wake. Protecting your ports is essential to keeping your system safe, and that starts with knowledge of your system's ports and whether they're Wide Open or Closed for the Duration. Free Port Scanner is just the tool for the job. This simple freeware from Network Security Audit Software (Nsasoft) thoroughly scans and tests your system's ports. It can reveal vulnerable access points so you can take action to close them to attackers.

Free Port Scanner is a simple tool with a simple interface: just Scan and Stop buttons and fields for displaying IP address and specifying TCP ports. A checkbox marked Show Closed Ports is selected by default. Unchecking it shows only open ports, a handy option for focusing on problems. We pressed Scan, and a blue progress bar began tracking the job. But Free Port Scanner doesn't just quickly ID your ports; it probes each of them thoroughly and persistently for weaknesses, and it doesn't list results in the main window until it's satisfied the port is closed or open. The scan took several minutes to complete, displaying IP Address, Port Number, Description, Port Name, and Port Status. As we expected, all our ports showed Closed under Port Status, but it's still nice to be reminded of it. If one or more of your system's ports is open, look to your system security and software. Then run Free Port Scanner again, and again if necessary; as many times as it takes to verify your system's safety.

If hackers are like the proverbial drunken sailor when it comes to open ports, good network security tools are the Shore Patrol, preventing trouble by the most effective measure, closing the port. Free Port Scanner won't secure your system; it's the early warning you need to do the job yourself, based on your hardware, software, and security tools. Highly recommended for all users.