If I Was A Hacker

If I was a bad guy, and I probed a range of addresses, with a bogus connection attempt, I'd expect any one of 4 possible returns from each of the addresses probed.

1. "Address unreachable" from the upstream gateway.
   
2. "Connection refused" from the router or firewall.
   
3. Reply from target, from an unstealthed computer or router.
   
4. No response, from a stealthed computer or router.
   

If I were a true hacker (not a cracker or script kiddie), I think I'd prioritise my hack attempts based upon those results.

1. "Address unreachable" = You can't hack what doesn't exist.
   
2. "Connection refused" = Interesting, but there's so many responding that way.
   
3. Reply from target = Boring.
   
4. No response (stealth) = Now we're talking. A true challenge. Thinks he's invisible, eh?
   

I'd go after #4, then #2 and #3, in that order. Security By Obscurity = No Security.

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